The air around Taiyang's serpentine body had become increasingly violent as they approached the edge of the Rank 3 battlefield, with enormous domains colliding in the distance and sending shockwaves through the atmosphere that sounded like thunderclaps from some storm too immense for the sky itself to contain.
Every few moments, a flash of runic energy would erupt beyond the horizon, illuminating the crimson landscape beneath them before vanishing into the chaos of the battle. Jaune could make out only fragments of what was occurring from this distance, but even those fragments were enough to understand the scale of the conflict.
Their attacks were tearing through the air and leaving enormous distortions in the surrounding atmosphere.
Jaune finally looked toward the enormous head of Taiyang's dragon form and said,
"Land next to my father." Taiyang's massive serpentine body shifted direction, his scales catching the crimson illumination of the moon as he slithered through the air. The dragon moved with surprising grace for something of such tremendous size, curving around smaller eruptions of runic energy before descending toward the location where Nicholas Arc stood.
As they drew closer, Jaune and Qrow jumped from the dragon's back, dropping through the air before landing several meters from Nicholas. Taiyang followed a moment later, his enormous body folding inward as his eastern dragon form rapidly contracted, scales and limbs collapsing into human proportions until he landed beside them in his normal form. Nicholas turned toward them almost immediately. His expression remained calm, although his eyes briefly traveled across Jaune, Qrow and Taiyang before settling on his son.
"Good," Nicholas greeted. "You've arrived. Just in time too, thankfully."
Jaune gave a simple nod, but Qrow and Taiyang exchanged a guarded look. Neither man was comfortable standing beside Nicholas Arc. They could acknowledge that Jaune's father was currently working toward the same objective they were, but that did not erase the enormous list of crimes committed by the man standing before them.
Nicholas was still the grand strategist of Sleepless, the architect behind countless operations and tragedies. Calling him a mastermind of unprecedented proportions was not exaggeration. If anything, it was an insult to his victims, to describe him merely, as intelligent. His mind had turned strategy into something approaching an art form, and the devastation left behind by that intelligence was very real.
Yet, despite all of that, he was necessary.
At this moment, there were pieces of the puzzle that only Nicholas possessed, and Jaune had apparently decided that his father was worth trusting for the duration of this final gamble. Qrow folded his arms and looked toward the distant barrier before glancing back at Nicholas.
Supposedly, Jaune needed to use the Supreme Rune of Knowledge to elevate the comprehension of his runes all the way to one hundred percent, bringing them into the realm of true mastery. The idea sounded absurd even by the standards of the current apocalypse, and Qrow had not exactly been enthusiastic about it.
Neither had Taiyang.
If the Supreme Rune of Knowledge could simply grant mastery, why weren't there hundreds of Rank 3s running around the world? Why hadn't every Rank 2 simply traveled to the Dream Realm, stood beneath the influence of Knowledge and skipped the years, decades or even lifetimes of effort required to achieve mastery?
Knowledge sounded like a cheat code. But it wasn't.
The problem was that the Supreme Rune of Knowledge was not merely a more powerful version of an ordinary rune. There was a fundamental difference between them, and that difference could be best understood through depth.
Runes were like bodies of water.
A regular rune might possess the depth of a pond or perhaps a lake, its principles extending only so far before reaching the limits of its conceptual foundation. A meta rune was different. Because it embodied something metaphysical rather than merely literal, its depth was comparable to a deep lake, descending farther into an abstract concept than an ordinary rune could ever reach.
But a Supreme Rune was something else entirely.
It possessed a depth that no awakened could naturally comprehend, a void so profound that looking into it was equivalent to staring into an ocean whose bottom could not be seen. Knowledge was not simply a vast collection of information.
It was an ocean of conceptual depth.
And when that density was introduced directly into a human mind and soul, the result was not enlightenment.
It was annihilation.
The sheer density of a Supreme Rune's power could crush an awakened from the inside out before they could even begin to comprehend what they were touching. Rank 1s, 2s, and even Rank 3s had attempted to internalize fragments of the Supreme Runes, and every one of them had fallen short.
That was precisely why LUCID had spent so much time developing technologies capable of utilizing fragments and aspects of the Supreme Runes without directly exposing an awakened to their full conceptual weight.
The bases in the Dream Realm, the systems capable of detecting awakened individuals, who were hosts to Nightmare System itself, all of those things depended upon technologies designed around the Supreme Runes.
The runes could influence reality through carefully constructed intermediaries, but they could not simply be grabbed and shoved into someone's soul like a battery. Jaune's plan was essentially to do exactly that. Qrow wasn't sure whether to call it brilliant or suicidal. Taiyang wasn't sure either. But Jaune had already demonstrated abilities that should not have been possible for someone of his rank, and at this point they were running out of alternatives.
If there was anyone capable of performing a miracle, perhaps it was him. Nicholas seemed to notice the expressions on Qrow and Taiyang's faces and gave them a faint smile.
"A pleasure it is to see the both of you," he said. "I hear your children have treated my son well. Ruby and Yang, was it? Very impressive, I have to say."
Taiyang's eyes narrowed.
"High praise coming from you, Nicholas Arc."
Nicholas crossed his arms.
"Hmm. I can tell your feelings for me are painted in a rather negative light. Go on, then. Ask me the questions you have. It'll take Tyrian a bit of time before he breaches the barrier anyhow, and we're still missing a few key players for now."
Qrow's expression hardened.
"You know, for a mastermind strategist, you sure don't have a confident look on your face. Can we really trust that this plan of yours is going to work?"
Nicholas hummed thoughtfully. Jaune watched his father carefully, knowing that Nicholas possessed the Foresight Rune and that his perception of the future made every conversation a peculiar thing for him. Every conversation with every person was, in a sense, happening twice inside Nicholas's perception. He could see the possible future and the present simultaneously, following branching possibilities as though they were paths laid across a map.
Everyone except Jaune, that was.
Jaune's Null Rune rendered him immune to the phenomena that Foresight relied upon, meaning Nicholas could not simply peer into his son's future and know what he would do. That fact alone had radically altered the strategic landscape.
Nicholas finally answered,
"Let me assuage you and say that I have put all my trust on my son here."
He reached over and clapped one broad hand against Jaune's shoulder.
"If the plan doesn't work, we'll all die."
His expression became considerably more serious.
"This is no joke. I've placed my chips in an all-in state. Every plan I possessed has been thrown into the water because of Jaune's new rune. If it works, then all is well. If it doesn't, Salem will awaken, and life on our beloved Earth will turn into a living hell. By now, I'm sure that Earth and the Dream Realm have already begun merging, which means Grimm have started attacking anything and everything en masse. That apocalyptic sight will become the new norm."
Qrow and Taiyang both sighed. Taiyang shook his head.
"Whatever. It would be foolish of us to truly trust your words, but at this point you're the only hope we have, and it would be even more foolish to ignore that."
His eyes moved toward Jaune.
"All of this is because of your new rune, huh?"
Jaune raised an eyebrow.
Taiyang continued, "What's so special about it?"
Jaune considered the question for a moment, deciding how much he actually wanted to reveal. He eventually answered simply,
"The denial of all phenomena. Negation to the extreme. Removing all versatility and subtle aspects."
He paused.
"Null."
Taiyang and Qrow waited.
"All runic phenomena and rules affecting me can no longer do so should I wish for it not to."
Both men stared at him. Qrow's eyes widened so dramatically that Jaune almost wondered whether they were going to fall out of his skull.
"That's... I don't even know what to say to that."
Jaune shrugged.
"Best if you don't say anything at all. It's been sort of revealed already during my previous fights, but all of those enemies are either dead or in a coma, so only our allies know. Though even then, they don't know exactly what it is. This is going to be my greatest weapon against Sleepless and Tyrian. It will also be what allows me to absorb the knowledge of, well... Knowledge into myself without immediately exploding."
Qrow opened his mouth, apparently preparing to object, but then stopped himself. The implication had finally become clear. Jaune wasn't simply planning to approach the Supreme Rune and somehow survive through sheer stubbornness. His Null Rune would allow him to deny the phenomena that would otherwise destroy him. The answer was horrifying, but at least it was an answer.
The sound of another enormous impact rolled through the air. Nicholas glanced toward the barrier, and Jaune followed his gaze. Far in the distance, almost indistinguishable against the continental expanse of crimson and black, stood Tyrian Callows.
Even at Rank 2, the distance was so immense that Tyrian appeared little more than a tiny mark upon the horizon, but Jaune's enhanced eyesight could make out the general shape of his body. Tyrian was standing before the barrier with both arms extended, his hands pressed against its surface. The barrier itself was rippling around him. Crimson runic energy was spreading outward from the point of contact in enormous concentric waves, each one passing across the barrier with enough force to make the surrounding air vibrate.
Jaune could somewhat perceive what Tyrian was trying to do.
The entirety of the man's domain was being compressed into a single point, condensing an enormous quantity of runic power into one impossibly dense location so that he could force a tiny opening through the barrier.
It was an act that required an absurd degree of control and power.
Perhaps no other Rank 3 in all of history would be able to do such a thing, regardless of their strength.
It was a testament to Tyrian Callows strength.
Nicholas suddenly looked away from Tyrian and toward Qrow.
"Your other half is here."
Qrow blinked.
"What?"
His shadow suddenly rippled and a raven suddenly emerged from it, wings beating as it climbed into the air. The bird circled once before its body transformed, feathers collapsing into human form until Raven Branwen landed lightly beside them.
Qrow stared.
"Ray? You alright?"
Raven nodded, her eyes immediately moving toward Jaune and Nicholas. Her gaze lingered upon Nicholas for several moments, carrying a complicated mixture of suspicion and hostility, but she said nothing about it. Instead she turned toward Jaune.
"Everyone's already met up and are making their way down into the center. There are quite a few Sleepless here too."
Jaune nodded.
"Yeah. But this is a good thing." He looked toward Taiyang.
"Taiyang, you should probably head back and let as many LUCID members know as possible that the hunt against Sleepless proper starts now. Make sure all of you kill as many Sleepless members as you can. Tyrian's going to need the energy to break through the barrier."
Qrow, Raven and Taiyang all looked at him in confusion. Jaune slapped a hand against his forehead.
"Right... forgot to mention that. Dad, you want to take over?"
Nicholas nodded and looked toward the distant figure of Tyrian.
"One of Tyrian's runes, which he merged into his meta runes, is called Collector. It allows for the storage of an incredible amount of energy. Salem's will threading through him can accumulate the energy from deaths in this moon realm. Deaths from awakened, at least, and use that energy to break open the barrier."
The three looked at Nicholas with grim expressions. Raven's eyes narrowed.
"Salem's will is in the Sleepless leader?" Nicholas waved the question aside. "Too much to explain everything, but yes. Essentially, every death from an awakened here will give him a small amount of energy that he can use to break open the barrier."
Raven looked troubled.
"Then why should we kill the members of Sleepless? Wouldn't it be better for us to keep them alive?"
Nicholas shook his head.
"Tyrian has to open the barrier. If Tyrian doesn't open it, we'll all be stuck here on the moon. After all, there is no way to return to Earth without the Supreme Runes. Eventually Salem's endless forces of Grimm will kill everyone on the moon."
The thought settled over them like another layer of darkness. This was not merely a battle but a war of attrition wrapped inside a race against time, with every death potentially contributing to Tyrian's progress while every delay brought Salem's awakening closer. The barrier suddenly released another enormous ripple, and the air around them quaked hard enough that even the ground beneath their feet seemed to tremble.
"Which is why it's better Sleepless dies rather than LUCID."
Nicholas looked toward Tyrian again.
"Looks like he's almost done. Another few minutes at best."
His gaze shifted toward Taiyang.
"Go. Now's your chance."
Taiyang nodded and looked between Nicholas and Jaune before launching himself into the air. His human body expanded in a surge of runic energy, scales spreading across his skin as his limbs elongated and his body transformed into the enormous eastern dragon once again. The dragon's body coiled through the air before accelerating away toward the distant battlefield.
Qrow watched him leave, then looked toward Raven. Nicholas had already spoken.
"You two. It's time for you to Reach Rank 3. They're struggling and if you join in, maybe things could turn around for the better. Hopefully."
Raven nodded.
"Fine? Together I assume?"
"Your weird connection to each other will likely help the process of rune merging."
Qrow gave a tired nod and Raven glanced toward Jaune.
"How did you know that I had reached mastery in all three of my runes?"
Jaune smiled faintly.
"You almost reached your end earlier. Would be a shame if you didn't reach mastery, wouldn't it?"
Raven shook her head with a small exasperated smile and sat down beside Qrow, who had already lowered himself into a meditative position. The two exchanged one final glance before extending their hands toward one another. Their palms met, and their runic energies began flowing gently between them.
It was a synchronization, the first step toward their own impossible process of merging three mastered runes into a single Master Rune.
Ordinarily, Rank 2's never did this process. Simply flowing runic energy towards someone else generally construed an attack. However, Raven and Qrow were twins, had similar runes which complemented each other and had an odd connection that went being the concentric realm.
Fate was somewhat of an illusive concept here, but it was likely that Raven and Qrow had to achieve a form of rune synchronicity while rune merging in order to reach the illusive realm of Rank 3.
Thousands could reach Rank 2 but far fewer could cross the final threshold. Qrow and Raven now had only minutes to accomplish what many awakened would spend years attempting.
Jaune watched them for a moment before turning toward his father.
Nicholas remained standing beside him, his attention once again fixed upon Tyrian and the barrier. The enormous crimson waves continued spreading outward from Tyrian's point of contact, each pulse becoming stronger than the last.