Chapter 8: Devil Trigger
Blake had returned to their meeting spot on the roof she had left earlier."Blake, finally your back." Compared to when she left, Adam's voice was a lot softer. "I wanted to apologize, but you wouldn't answer your scroll. How did the mission go?" Staring at Adam, Blake's eyes narrowed. The echoes of what Shen told her caused her pattern of thinking to change for the briefest moment.
'Since when did he become so two-faced….' Adam's eyes narrowed for a moment when he swore he saw a trace of disgust flash through Blake's eyes before it disappeared. "It went fine, Adam, so what do you want?" Adam was surprised a bit seeing her being cold to him rather than meek, especially after he apologized.
Stretching out his hand, he attempted to touch Blake's face; however, she quickly backstepped the moment he did. "Blake, are you still angry? Look, I'm sorry I'll try to refrain myself more from now on." Sighing, Blake spoke more openly. "It's fine, Adam, and I don't really care anymore. Besides, the High Leader gave you an important mission we shouldn't get distracted."
Adam was hesitant to believe her but nodded. "You're right. The opportunity for my promotion is getting close, so we should start boosting the number of missions we complete for the next few weeks." All of his effort up to this point was to be promoted to that of a Branch Leader. He had been suppressed by Sienna for a while, yet he still made it this far.
Just a little longer and a strong push, and his goals would be accomplished. With that in mind, he couldn't help but smile as he began to walk off ahead. Blake's eyes stuck to his back as she soon followed behind him.
A week had passed since the raid on the Schnee Dust Company Facility, and Shen had finally begun utilizing his first demand. Currently, he was standing in front of a locked metal door with a scanner next to it. Holding up his hand, he placed it on the scanner, and within seconds, a robotic voice verified him. [High Officer Shen… Clearance Authorized.]
The door slid open as Shen smiled. 'She works fast.' Walking into the room, Shen was greeted by a small platform with a large computer screen attached to it accompanied by a console near the bottom. On both sides of the platform were stairs leading to the lower levels of the room. Their dozens of computing servers were running at once.
"The White Fang doesn't disappoint." Shen walked up to the console causing the monitor to turn, and asked for his inquiry. "Now then, let's see… I should focus on groups with enough influence to be a danger to me. Huntsman around and above Blake's level should fit the criteria. I'll be in Mistral for quite some time, so I can filter the rest out."
Focusing on Huntsman first, Shen typed briefly on the console as a list appeared on the screen. The list had over a hundred different people on it, and almost all of them were considered threats to the White Fang. "Most of them are a part of Haven and Sanctum Academy. That makes sense seeing at their the only huntsman training academies in Mistral."
As Shen was scrolling down the list, he spotted someone, which caused his eyes to flicker. "Pyrrha Nikos? Right, she's still alive, and she hasn't graduated to Beacon yet." Putting his hand on his chin for a moment, Shen thought about something. Afterwards he also looked into the groups within Mistral, both criminal and otherwise.
He spent an hour in that room gathering all kinds of information until he was satisfied. Eventually, he finally left and had his head in the clouds. 'I thought RWBY was a pretty tame world, but it seems like it's bigger than I thought.' Money and stronger opponents were the most important things for Shen to focus on right now.
He was still way too weak, and his overall influence was pitiful. He wanted to change that, so he had looked for an opportunity to accomplish both of his goals. And wouldn't you know it, he found one? 'Now, I just need a few things.' Shen smiled to himself as he began to make his way to the top floor of the base where the Branch Leader's office is.
When he arrived and got off of the elevator, he spotted two White Fang recruits guarding the door. As Shen approached, he immediately noticed his rank and spoke politely. "I'm sorry, but the Branch Leader is currently having a meeting. Please return later." Hearing that, the expression on Shen's face shifted a bit as they continued to walk.
Pushing open the doors to the office, the two recruits tried to stop him. "Wait!" But by that point, Shen had already shut the door. Inside three people were standing in front of Sienna's desk with their hands behind their back. They were showing an extreme amount of respect to her, and it was obvious they were quite loyal.
"So then how should we proceed…." One of the three was speaking to Sienna as they heard the door open behind them. All of them turned and spotted Shen before narrowing their eyes. "Who are you? Walking into the Branch Leader's office without proper authorization is a punishable offense."
The one speaking to Shen was a rather tall and buff man. He looked to be in his mid-thirties and had features resembling that of a lion when it came to his tail and ears. The two people by his side seemed to be his subordinates, and their masks showed they were Lieutenants. One of them seemed to have recognized Shen as they spoke.
"Wait, I recognize you. Your name is Shen, correct? I heard of your accomplishment in your first mission. What are you-" Sienna took a deep breath as she cut the Lieutenant off. "Well, I have to cut this meeting short. Grizz, you are dismissed." Hearing her words, the tall man looked at her in shock. "But Mam, we still…"
Sienna didn't speak again, but her silence made it clear the conversation was over. He straightened himself as he politely bowed. "Very well." Turning around, he left with his Lieutenants and glanced towards Shen with a cautious gaze. The sound of the door opening and closing brought a brief silence to the room.
"So that was one of your direct subordinates?" Above Lieutenants were the direct subordinates of a Branch Leader, and they had the second-highest authority. Having sent them away, Sienna looked towards Shen. "What do you want?" Any hint of Sienna's normal charm and controlling personality disappeared when the only Shen was around.
Because when she saw him, she would remember the pain she had felt in her chest, and fear would accompany it. It was honestly a miracle she could remain as calm as she was. "Nothing much. I just need you to organize a mission with me as its head." Shen had 'Requested' two things from Sienna in their deal.
One was that he would have full access to The White Fang's network and information, and two was that he would be able to use her authority to a limit. This was actually a limit Shen had nearly missed if Sienna had not brought it up. In the end, while she had independence from the High Leader, the goal of the White Fang was an improvement.
If Shen made Sienna give out orders that would harm the White Fang in any way or publicly benefited him too much, then the High Leader would certainly get involved. Once that happened, he would lose a valuable asset. So instead, he had to be careful with what he asked for. "A mission? What kind?"
"You don't need to know too much about it." Sienna changed the focus of the conversation as she spoke again. "You need to at least tell me where you're going. These kinds of things are important." Hearing that, Shen sat down on a couch against a nearby wall. "A city called Kuchinashi."
Sienna's eyes widened as she clearly recognized the name. She wanted to ask why he was going there, but she doubted Shen would give her an answer. "Fine… What do you need?" Having gotten to this point, Shen began to list things off. "I need two hundred White Fang recruits, ten White Fang officers, and two Lieutenants. I'm also going to need transportation for them."
Hearing those numbers, Sienna's shock grew. The Mistral branch of the White Fang had the most members of all the Branches. It even reached above ten thousand if you included other bases scattered across Mistral. And of course, Shen knew that due to his research. "Those kinds of numbers would be required for a Raid. So what the hell are you planning?"
Shen did not respond to her question as he leaned back on the couch. "I'm not done. I'm also going to require at least three cargo trucks. All things considered, this should be an easy request to fulfill, right?" Sienna glanced at Shen before looking down. "You know there will be a lot of push back If I give this order, right? I can't guarantee they will all listen to you."
Shen stood up as he made his way to the door. "Don't worry about that. Just make sure everything is ready within two days' time." With that, Shen didn't give her a chance to speak again. He left the room through the door and only gave a side glance at the two White Fang recruits waiting outside.
Now that he was outside of the White Fang's system, in a way, Shen felt a lot more comfortable. He hated the idea of being run-ragged doing things that would only give him minimal progression. But now that he had Sienna wrapped around his finger, he could make the choices that would benefit him in both the long and short run.
Having left the top floor in its entirety, Shen wasn't making his way back to his room. Or to any palace in the base, for that matter. Instead, he had made his way outside. The entire White Fang base was built under a mountain. As such, viewing it from the air, it was impossible. However, even if it was exposed, the massive forest stretching over the mountain guaranteed it would be hard to fine.
Shen walked through that forest and headed fairly deep. 'Alright, White Fang surveillance and security should have ended a mile back.' Finding a fairly open area, Shen brought up his System menu and went to his stats.
{Personal Stats}
Points: 0
Physical Strength: 11 (+22)
Endurance: 5 (+28)
Dexterity: 16 (+18)
Power: 15 (+12)
…
These were his current stats, although compared to last time, they had clearly risen. Shen attributed that change thanks to his physiology. Not only was he slowly growing stronger due to his merger with Life Fibers, but he was now a Demon Hybrid. "With my current strength, I should be above the level of a Pro Huntsman."
The main cast in RWBY were obviously prodigies, and when compared to your average Pro Huntsman, they surpassed them by leaps and bounds. As such, Shen was pretty confident that he was above their level and that of average Pro Huntsman based on what he saw from Blake. However, there were people who were vastly stronger past that point.
People like Qrow, Ozpin, Winter, and a few more Shen could think of off the top of their heads. "Alright then." Holding up his hand Shen activated one of his newest abilities. 'Devil Trigger!' On activation, Shen's entire body was enveloped in a dark swarm of light as waves of energy erupted around him.
The air in the area got violent as Shen finally became visible. His entire body had changed compared to before. His body had turned black and rough, and in some places, such as his hands and legs, it seemed as if he was wearing a suit of armor. Even his face had turned demonic to the point it was impossible to pair his current looks to his human one.
That aside, in some places, golden light seemed to penetrate his skin creating trails on his body that pulsed periodically. Moving his body around, Shen didn't know how to describe the feeling. "This…" His voice had deepened as he looked up towards a large tree a hundred meters from where he was standing.
Clenching his fist, Shen moved. He was like a blur as he appeared in front of the tree in a matter of seconds. "Hya!" Punching at full force, demonic golden energy seemed to be released from his fist all at once. Before even making an impact, the tree gave way and began to shatter as the ground shook.
A golden shockwave covered the area in front of Shen as a large portion of the tree he attacked disappeared while four trees are behind bent and shattered before falling to the ground. [New Linked Skill: Demonic Blast Acquired!] Hearing the System as he lowered his fist Shen checked what it meant.
"I see that a Linked Skill is only accessible while using whatever it's linked to." In this case, it was his Devil Trigger form. "But I have to admit this is beyond my expectations." Everything felt enhanced when he was in this form and that even included his Life Fibers. Turning to look at the ground next to him.
Without even gesturing with his hand, thousands of Life Fibers emerged from his back, forming a large spike. They cut through the air before hardening and slamming into the ground, causing it to crack. Shen already felt his Life Fibers were strong, but they felt as if they were shifted into overdrive right now. "Heh, what the hell is going on with my stats?"
{Personal Stats}
Points: 0
Physical Strength: 11 (+66)
Endurance: 5 (+84)
Dexterity: 16 (+54)
Power: 15 (+36)
…
Shen's eyes widened in surprise. His stats had completely answered his question on why he was so strong. His Devil Trigger was at Level 1, yet his stats had tripled compared to what they were before. That kind of multiplication in power wasn't as simple as he was now equal to three of himself in base.
No, he would absolutely demolish himself if he fought against himself in his normal form. The number of people that could match him had dropped immensely. "With this, I might even-" Shen's words were cut off as he felt a sharp pain go through his chest. Taking a staggering step back, his Devil Trigger form disappeared into a dark fog as his human self was revealed.
"Of course, there would be a catch." Shen laughed a bit but wasn't disappointed. He had stayed in that form for around two minutes, which seemed short, but considering how much power he gained, it was more than enough. "Besides, with enough practice and leveling, I'm sure I'll be able to sustain it longer."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
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