Salem

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==Summary==
An incredibly enigmatic figure from Remnant's forgotten past, Salem is the true main antagonist of RWBY. 
Many eons ago, Salem was born in an age when humanity lived alongside their creators, the God of Light and God of Darkness, and all were capable of performing magic. However, she was isolated and trapped in a castle by her cruel father. Many attempted to rescue her, and while most failed, only one was able to succeed, a hero named Ozma. After freeing her, the two went on adventures around the world, and eventually fell in love. However, when Ozma passed away from illness, Salem couldn't accept it. She sought out the Gods hoping they would undo it. But when she attempted to deceive them after being refused, she was cursed with to live eternally as punishment. Angered, Salem slowly manipulated humanity against the Gods, leading an all-out attack that ultimately failed and resulted in their complete obliteration. Left alone on the planet, she threw herself into the pits that spawned the Grimm in hopes that she would finally die, instead turning her into a being of "pure destruction".
As humanity was reborn once more, Salem secluded herself in the woods, becoming known only as "The Witch". However, when Ozma returned to her in a new form, she was overjoyed. Realizing they were the only humans left in existence able to wield magic, they set about using their powers to act as gods, ruling over the world with a massive following and creating a prosperous kingdom, eventually even starting a family. However, due to their different ideologies in uniting humanity and Salem's increasingly more brutal methods, they eventually turned on each other. Their children were killed in the ensuing battle and Salem murdered Ozma, beginning the long and intense feud between the two.
In the present, Salem is the master of the Grimm, and acts as the leader of a cabal of people with malicious plans from the Land of Darkness. Her goals are to find the Maidens and use their powers to obtain the Relics from the Huntsman Academies. She also works on dividing humanity so that when the Relics are brought together, The Gods will destroy Remnant and in turn, break the curse on her allowing her to die.
==Powers and Stats==
Tier: At least , higher, up to with Magic
Name: Salem, The Witch,RWBY Volume 6 Episode 3 The Girl in the Tower,RWBY: Fairy Tales of Remnant Destruction IncarnateRWBY Volume 8 Episode 7
Origin: RWBY
Gender: Female
Age: Tens of Thousands to Several Million chronologically (Lived through humanity's extinction and rebirth)
Classification: Human (Corrupted), Former Ruler of Remnant, Master of the Grimm
Powers and Abilities:
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Resistance to:
*Extreme Cold (Was unfazed by the sub-zero temperatures of Solitas, which is Remnant's North PoleRWBY: World of Remnant, Episode 11: Atlas)
*Ice Manipulation (Magic can be used to break free from being frozenRWBY Volume 5 Episode 12)
*Deconstruction, Absorption, and Soul Manipulation (Survived a plunge into the Pools of Grimm, which disintegrates any object that enters it, as well as absorb and destroy a being’s soul)
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Attack Potency: At least City level (Casually overpowered and harmed Dust Overdosed Hazel. Should be at least comparable to if not stronger than The Wizard), higher, up to Large Island level with Magic (Even her weaker magic is far superior to the likes of the Maidens, and was able to easily overpower Atlas Arc Ren and Jaune in one hit as well as easily restrain and overpower Dust Overdosed Hazel. At her peak she lifted an entire river of Grimm Liquid and launched it through Atlas' shields as well as killed Ozma in his prime)
Speed: At least FTL Reactions and Combat Speed (Should be at least as fast as the Maidens. Blitzed Emerald Sustrai and matched Dust-Overdosed Hazel. Kept up with Ozma in his prime)
Lifting Strength: At least Class G (Physically overpowered Dust Overdosed Hazel and casually restrained both Atlas Arc Yang and Emerald simultaneously with one hand each), Class T with Magic (Lifted an entire river of Grimm Liquid. Her Shadow Hands were able to restrain Atlas Arc Jaune, Ren, Yang, Emerald, Dust Overdosed Hazel, and Oscar simultaneously)
Striking Strength: At least City level (Harmed Hazel with her physical strikes)
Durability: At least City level, higher via Forcefields (Should be greater than her durability, as it is similar in nature to Ozma's)
Stamina: Likely Infinite (As a "being of infinite life", Salem does not require rest. After being cursed by the Gods she spent eons restlessly wandering Remnant, and has shown the ability to continue fighting even while severely physically injured, up to and including having her skull caved in and torso blown apart, as even reducing her body to ashes barely slow her down. During her first encounter with Hazel she outlasted him to the point that he was physically incapable of moving due to exhaustion while she was unfazed.RWBY Volume 8 Episode 7 Should be vastly superior to the likes of Atlas Arc Teams RWBY, who can fight on and off for two days straight with minimal restRWBY Volume 8 and traverse numerous ruins all across Atlas, fight off an army of Grimm, take down an insurgency within the Atlas Military, and fight a team of professional Huntresses all within the span of a single day without any signs of exhaustion,RWBY: Arrowfell as well as the King of Vale, who fought off an entire army on his own during the Great WarRWBY: World of Remnant, Episode 16: The Great War)
Range: Tens of Meters to Tens of Kilometers with Magic, Varies, up to Planetary with Clairvoyance (The max range is unknown with her crystal ball, while the range with her Seers is dependent on their locations, which can be stationed all across Remnant)
Standard Equipment: None notable
*Optional Equipment: Pools of Grimm
Intelligence:
Genius. Salem has lived for countless eons, during which she acquired extensive knowledge of the nature of Aura and Dust, as well as an understanding of human nature, society and history. She is also extremely knowledgeable on the workings of Grimm, learning about their biology to not only alter them, as seen with the winged Beringels, but can graft them to humans, which she did to Cinder by giving her one to replace her missing arm. Furthermore, she used the knowledge gained to push past their limits by creating entirely new and unique ones to suit her needs, such as the Beetle, a Grimm capable of siphoning Maiden powers, Monstra, a mobile fortress to house an entire army, or The Hound, a fusion of Grimm with a living being.
She is a master manipulator, able to instill fear in others and can sway even the most steadfast into giving up or even joining her. When Hazel Rainart came seeking revenge for his sister's death, she demonstrated her immortality, allowing him to kill her continuously until he broke and joined her side. She managed to turn Leonardo Lionheart, a member of Ozpin's group and one he trusted with guarding the Relic of Knowledge to her side and have him act as a mole, delivering information on the group and getting Cinder's team into Beacon Academy as infiltrators. Raven Branwen, another member, fled from it all after learning more about Salem and returned to her tribe. Even after becoming a Maiden, she still refused to fight, stating that there was no beating her. When she declared to James Ironwood that she was personally coming to Atlas to collect the Relics, he decided that the best plan was taking Atlas and fleeing instead of staying to fight, believing that even with the greatest military in Remnant they were no match for her.
Weaknesses: None notable
Notable Attacks/Techniques:
*Magic: Salem, alongside the Maidens and Ozma, are among the few living characters who can perform True Magic, which was mostly lost after the God of Darkness erased the previous iteration of humanity. In battle, she commonly uses energy based attacks. However, she can also utilize elemental powers such as fire, electricity or even unconventional ones like smoke.
**Grimm Control: When the Gods wiped out humanity and left the planet, Salem jumped into the Grimm Pools in a last ditch effort to end her life. Instead, she was corrupted into a being of pure destruction with the ability to control the Grimm. Over the many millennia, she learned to master her new found powers, allowing her to not only alter the Grimm by giving them new abilities, but even create new ones to suit her needs.
*Immortality: Due to her transgressions against the Gods, Salem was cursed with immortality, preventing her from being reunited with Ozma. This curse prevents her from aging and falling to injury, letting her recover from any physical damage so long as Remnant exists.
==Gallery==
Divide (feat. Casey Lee Williams)
When It Falls (feat. Casey Lee Williams)
==Notable Matchups==
Victories:
Losses:
Mard Geer Tartaros (Fairy Tail) Mard Geer's Profile (Speed are equalized, Salem had no Grimm) 
Inconclusive:
Kamen Rider Ark-Zero (Kamen Rider) Ark-Zero's Profile (High 6-C versions used. Speed equalized. Ark-Zero had no machines and Salem had no Grimm)
==References==
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