Chương 4: The Calculus of Survival

The smell of ozone and burning synthetic stone lingered over the central plaza of Beacon Academy, but the frenzied, desperate rhythm of battle had fully ceased. The Atlesian Knights, previously driven to a murderous red glow by the virus, sat entirely inert, their processors frozen by the sudden termination of the master signal from the CCT tower.

The remaining White Fang forces had scattered into the emerald forests of the cliffside, their leadership shattered, fleeing from a power they couldn't name or comprehend. Ruby Rose came down the crumbling stone steps of the tower first, her small boots clicking unevenly against the debris. Her cape was torn, her small frame shivering from a mixture of shock and adrenaline.

"Ruby!" A cry broke through the stillness. Weiss Schnee was running toward her from across the quad, her rapier held loosely at her side, her face pale behind the streaks of black soot. Behind her, Yang Xiao Long moved with a heavy, uncharacteristic limp, her right arm clutched against her side, her lilac eyes wide with frantic concern. Blake Belladonna followed closely, her ears still low but her gaze locked entirely on her team leader.

"Ruby, thank dust you're alright," Weiss gasped, grabbing Ruby by the shoulders as soon as she reached her, checking her for injuries with rapid, trembling hands.

"The tower... we saw the sky rip open. We saw the Wyvern fall. What happened up there?"

"I... I didn't do it," Ruby whispered, her voice barely carrying over the wind. She looked back up the steps.

"He did." From the shadows of the arched doorway, Saitama stepped out into the bright afternoon sun. His posture was slouched, his yellow suit slightly dusty but completely unmarred by blood or fire. Slung casually over his right shoulder like a sack of laundry was Pyrrha Nikos, her red hair trailing against the white fabric of his cape, her breathing slow but rhythmic.

"Jaune! Nora! Ren!" Ruby called out, her voice rising as she spotted the rest of Team JNPR rushing into the plaza from the airship pad. Jaune Arc was at the front, his armor dented, his shield discarded somewhere in the chaos. When his eyes landed on the bald man carrying the red-haired Spartan, his heart skipped a beat.

"Pyrrha!" He sprinted forward, stumbling over a broken piece of masonry before throwing himself in front of Saitama.

"Is she... is she..."

"She's fine," Saitama said, his voice completely flat as he easily lowered Pyrrha from his shoulder, letting Jaune catch her and cradle her in his arms.

"She just passed out. Probably because of that weird glowy stuff she was losing earlier. You should get her some water or something." Jaune held Pyrrha close, tears finally spilling over his cheeks as he checked her pulse.

"Thank you... oh god, thank you..."

"Wow, you really are bald," Nora Valkyrie muttered, stepping closer with Magnhild resting on her shoulder. Her usual hyperactive energy was subdued by sheer bewilderment.

"Hey! So what if I'm bald?" said Saitama annoyed. She poked a finger toward Saitama's yellow jumpsuit.

"Are you a superhero from Vacuo? I didn't think people from Vacuo wore bright colors. Usually it's just brown or white for the sand."

"I told you, I'm just a guy who's a hero for fun," Saitama said, adjusting his red gloves with a sigh.

"And what is Vacuo anyway? Is that near Z-City?" Lie Ren stepped between Nora and Saitama, his hands resting on his StormFlower pistols, though his posture remained respectful. His aura sensors were completely silent when he looked at the man. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. It's like looking into a vacuum. Ren thought, his brow furrowing. He has no presence, no pressure, no spirit... yet the entire horizon is clear because of him.

"We owe you our lives, stranger. The beast you destroyed... it was an ancient terror."

"Yeah, it was kind of big," Saitama said, scratching his chin.

"But it didn't really have a lot of punch to it. Honestly, those flying crow things were more annoying." The sound of heavy, military boots and the rapid whirring of standard-issue bullhead engines broke the conversation. General James Ironwood strode into the courtyard, his white uniform torn at the sleeve, revealing the cold titanium of his cybernetic arm. His revolver was still drawn, his face a hard mask of military grimness.

Beside him, Glynda Goodwitch held her riding crop tightly, her green eyes scanning the destruction with deep sorrow, her telekinetic power lifting large boulders out of the way as they walked. Bringing up the rear was Qrow Branwen, his greatsword folded onto his back, a flask already in his hand as he took a long, burning swallow.

"Team RWBY! Team JNPR!" Glynda commanded, her voice ringing out through the plaza.

"Report! Where is the source of the broadcast? Where is Cinder Fall?"

"She's gone, Professor," Ruby said, stepping forward to shield Saitama slightly, as if afraid the adults would make him angry.

"She... she tried to fight him, and he punched her. She went over the mountains." Ironwood stopped dead in his tracks, his gaze shifting from Ruby to the bald man in the yellow suit. He looked at the shattered rooftop of the CCT tower, then at the massive trench in the earth where the Wyvern's jaw had been vaporized.

"You," Ironwood said, his voice dropping into a dangerous, authoritative register.

"Identify yourself. What division of the global defense force do you belong to? What kind of unauthorized Dust weapon did you just discharge within a civilian zone?" Saitama blinked, his dot-eyes completely vacant as he stared at the general's cybernetic arm.

"Uh... I'm Saitama. I don't belong to a division. I'm part of the Hero Association. Well, I'm an A-Class hero right now, though I should probably be S-Class by now based on my record."

"The Hero Association?" Glynda repeated, her brow furrowing as she adjusted her glasses.

"There is no such organization registered under the Vytal Treaty. Are you an independent mercenary? An operative from Atlas?"

"Hey, Jimmy, back off the guy," Qrow interrupted, stepping forward and taking a long look at Saitama. His red eyes were sharp, evaluating the way the man stood, completely unprotected, totally relaxed, yet without a single opening. My semblance usually brings bad luck to everyone around me. Qrow thought, his hand tightening on his flask. But looking at this guy... I feel like my bad luck would just bounce off his head and hit me instead.

"The kid said he took care of the Fall Maiden," Qrow continues.

"If that's true, he just did what an entire army couldn't."

"He didn't just take care of her, Uncle Qrow!" Ruby insisted, her arms flailing wildly as she tried to describe the scale of the battle.

"He didn't even use a weapon! He just went bam with his hand and the clouds opened up, and then he went boom and the giant dragon died, and then Cinder threw all this fire at him and it didn't even singe his cape!"

"No Aura?" Ironwood asked, his cybernetic eye whirring as he scanned Saitama's biometric data on his scroll. The screen displayed a perfectly flat line. No thermal anomalies, no soul radiation, no kinetic shielding.

"That's impossible!" Ironwood said in disbelief.

"A human being cannot survive a Maiden's fire without an active Aura shield. What are you hiding under that suit?" Saitama sighed, his shoulders sinking lower. He looked at the group of teenagers, then at the stern adults with their weapons and their complicated questions.

"Look, I've had a really long day," Saitama said, his voice dripping with profound boredom.

"I got sucked into a white hole, I lost my premium beef, I missed the Saturday sale, and now I'm being interrogated by a guy with a robot arm. Can someone just tell me where the nearest apartment complex is? I need to see if my landlord can forward my mail to this place." The students of Team RWBY and JNPR looked at one another, the absurdity of the situation finally breaking through the trauma of the day.

"I don't think he's from Remnant, General," Blake said softly, her voice steady.

"Wherever he came from... the rules here don't seem to apply to him." Professor Ozpin was gone, the academy was in ruins, and the world was forever changed. But as Saitama stood there, scratching his bald head under the clear blue sky he had created, the immediate danger had passed. The Fall of Beacon had been averted, not by destiny or magic, but by a single, completely ordinary punch.