AN: Hey everyone. Sorry for the delay. I've been busy with stuff but I'm back now. You should already know but there's a poll to say when I'll update, so if you haven't voted do so. Nothing much more to say. Onto the story.
(1): The helmet Guts wears when he goes full berserk in his armor. Jaune now has the full set.
Light of Remnant
Ch. 11 The Appetizer
"You planned this. I don't know how, but you planned this." After I agreed to help Ozpin with his recent shortage of training androids I immediately began to regret it.
The smug Headmaster takes another sip from his infinite cup. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Mr. Arc. How could I have planned for you to be strong enough to defeat all 200 of our training androids? I believe you give me too much credit."
That's a flat out lie. He couldn't have planned for me to beat all of them, but he had to know I would defeat most of them. That would still leave them short on bots for the students to use. "I could always leave. Not like you could stop me." I could fly right out the roof if I wanted. Maybe burn a mark on the lawn while I'm at it.
"That you could. And I'm sure no one in this school could stop you. But then there comes the matter of the cost for the destroyed androids. Without you here to make up for the damages, the matter of payment would fall to your parents as you're still a minor."
… It's starting to get really hard to hold back on my desire to curse. Not only is he forcing me to help him out, now he's holding my family's savings hostage. I'm gonna need to leave a bit of napalm spit in his cup if this keeps up.
The fight might not have been very tiring, but I feel exhausted now. The combat class for each year will be combined so as to make this easier. Classes will be shuffled to make up for this and after we're done here it'll be a free day. I'm sure many are happy about that. Just wait until they step into the ring. I'm sure they'll regret it.
The spars will definitely become a spectacle. Most won't take it too well considering my acceptance into this school in the first place, but that's not my problem. If they chose to look down on me then it'll make the fights go by easier.
"The students will be gathering here in an hour. For now you can do as you please." Ms. Goodwitch informs me on the schedule and how long I had. Since no one's about the halls I can stop by the cafeteria and grab some lunch. Leaving the auditorium I change my appearance to something more low-key. It wouldn't do to walk around in a full set of armor while eating.
I take the back route to the cafeteria to avoid being seen by the odd student or teacher as I'm not sure if they've been informed fully about the reason for the change. Arriving at the cafeteria I enter the large room to see that it's mostly empty except for the staff on shift. Heading up to food line I grab some food that they've set up early for any students that don't have class right now.
After grabbing my meal I pay with a card Ozpin gave me to buy some lunch. I take a seat at a table by the window and dig in. As I eat my mind wanders to the upcoming spars. I'm not sure what they have in mind for how the spars will be set up, but they'll probably have me fight a few teams in each year.
The only students from the first year that come to mind are ones that I'd rather not see again, but it seems that I won't be that lucky. If they make me fight team CRDL they'll probably get off with some broken bones, maybe a scar here or there. Teams NPR and RWBY on the other hand won't get off so lucky. They didn't do anything while I was being harassed by the other students, and therein lies the problem. They left me to be tormented by everyone while they turned a blind eye. In the end they even left me to die at the hands of the Grimm horde after I stayed behind for them.
I hate them all. I really do, but that doesn't mean I want to kill them. It's best to leave them alone. Now though, it doesn't seem that I'll get that lucky.
After finishing my meal I still have half an hour until the class starts. Deciding it would be best to head back rather than risk being seen I walk to a locker room they set aside for visiting students.
The time passes and the sound of students entering the neighboring locker room can be heard. Ozpin said to wait until he called me up to the stage. Something about it being more dramatic.
"So, what do ya think the professors are doing changing the classes like this?"
A familiar voice catches my ear. It's female and sounds rather confident.
"I don't know Yang. Maybe they thought it would be better to have everyone fight at the same time rather than waste some training androids for each class?"
The next voice is smoother than the last. It's quite like the dead of night.
"I'm sure it's important. They wouldn't hamper our studies for no reason."
"Weiss is right. Though any reason to have a free day is good enough for me."
These two are easy to figure out. The first was already identified and the other could only be one person. The group continues to talk to one another but I tune it out. If I don't focus on something else my Rage will take over and I'll lose control.
"What do you think's going on Pyrrha?"
As hard as I'm trying not to listen, that name cuts through the air like one of Relic's blasts.
"It's hard to say. Either way I'm sure that the training simulations will still be held so there's no need for concern."
Her cheerful voice has the opposite effect you would expect on me. The tournament champion of Mistral might have seemed nice when we first met, but she turned her back on me the moment I became a burden. All that kindness and warm demeanor turned to cold isolation when I confided in her.
"As long as I getta smash something than I'm good to go! What about you Ren?!"
"Whether we face the training bots or not we get a free day after this. Maybe I'll be able to get a nap in when I'm done."
The two childhood friends Nora and Ren. They were a part of my team no more than five days ago. Now they just seem like strangers.
They continue to talk to one another. Happy in their own little worlds. As if nothing happened. As if I never existed. It's only been 5 DAYS! And they're already chose to forget about me. Fine then, not like I came here to talk to them again. At least now I'll have plenty of energy for the spars.
It's best to walk away for now. Unless I wanna burst through the wall and commit murder that is.
In the other locker room
My team and the remains of JNPR continue to talk about that spars and what they have in mind. Despite how we all sound we're not in the best shape. Blake has a bag or two under her eyes. Weiss has had a cold expression for the past few days that just won't leave. Yang's hair looks a bit disheveled even. I'm no better than them I suppose.
Every morning's been so difficult it's hard to even get out of bed. Even with all that team JNPR is worse off than we are. Usually Nora's bursting with energy all day, but now she only has this act she puts on. Most can't tell the difference but if you look close you can see she's acting like a puppet on strings. Ren doesn't show it but I know he's hurting too.
The one who has it worst has to be Pyrrha. Her teammates have each other, we have our own partners, but she has no one. We try and talk with her, but she waves us off and goes somewhere else. I know she's had it the hardest with the loss of her partner.
Something that sounds like thrashing and heavy objects being thrown can be heard from the locker room next door.
"What do ya think's going on in there?" Yang puts her ear up to the wall to see if she can make out what's going on. Nora joins her on the wall and the two continue to listen in. While they listen, something crashes against the wall. Small cracks can be seen on the wall where the object probably came from.
"Is someone having a fight in there? Maybe we should call the professor?" Weiss prepares to head off to get Ms. Goodwitch. The loudspeaker cuts her off before she can make the call.
"Would all students please make your way to the training room. I repeat, will all students please make your way to the training room. We will begin the practice sessions soon." The voice coming from the loudspeaker sounds like Ms. Goodwitch's. The other students in the locker room gather their gear and head off to the training room.
Our two teams soon follow suit behind the rest. We make our way to the training room and take seats in the bleachers surrounding the ring. Other students talk amongst themselves. From what little I can make out they seem to be just as confused by the change in schedule as we are.
Before long Ms. Goodwitch makes her way to center of the ring. "Good afternoon class. Today we will be holding a practice match to test your progress so far. Ordinarily we use training androids to allow you the full use of your capabilities without the danger of harming your fellow students. Unfortunately, an incident earlier today made all of our androids indisposed during a practice run."
The chatter amongst the students picks up again. Without the training bots we can't hold the practice sessions. I deflate at the news. This really sucks. Now I can't show off Crescent Rose to everyone. My baby won't get her chance to shine.
"The good news is that the one who caused the incident has agreed to assist us with our problem. Instead of fighting training androids you'll be sparing against him." The somewhat quite murmurs from before turn into full out yelling. If we're gonna be fighting against an actual person they've gotta be a Huntsman! This is sooooo much better than some simple training bots.
A student farther down from us raises their hand. The professor nods for the student to stand up and speak. "Does that mean only some of us are gonna get the chance to practice? If it's an actual person, they can't fight everyone."
The crowd starts to erupt in to an uproar. Students are volunteering themselves for the few slots that'll be open. Some are even making their way down to the practice field to form a line. Our group is no exception. Yang and Nora yell at the professor for the opportunity to get a fight in while the rest remain quiet.
Ms. Goodwitch finally snaps at the chaos that her class has become. "Everyone be silent! I will not have my class descend into madness of something as childish as a chance to show off!" Everyone goes deathly silent as the professor yells over them. Those that were heading towards the arena return to their seats and try to make themselves as small as possible. "Now then, I assure you all that you'll get the chance to demonstrate your abilities today if you desire to. Your sparring partner has enough energy to take on every one of you if necessary."
"In a few minutes the first session will begin. The system will decide at random who goes first while I get the assistant. Later, we'll allow whole teams to take them on, but we'll start out with single matches for now." She types something into the digital clipboard she's holding before looking back to the class. "I'll return in a minute with our assistant. Whoever the system chooses should make their way to the arena and prepare for their match."
Ms. Goodwitch heads towards the doors leading to the locker rooms. Once she's out of sight everyone looks at the monitor overhead to see who'll be lucky enough to get the first fight. I'm bouncing in my seat in anticipation. Sparring against an actual Huntsman isn't something new to me or Yang, but it's still exciting!
Soon the monitor wheel starts to slow down as the lucky first participant is chosen.
Back with Jaune
The loud noises from earlier disappear now. It's quite as I continue to wait for my que to come out and reveal myself. To avoid any obvious surprise, I've created a construct helmet to hide my face. It looks like the head of a beast with a part where the mouth would be. The eyes of the helmet cause me to see everything with a red tint. (1)
Footsteps can be heard coming my way. They clack loudly against the surface of the floor and reverberates around the room. The doors open to reveal Ms. Goodwitch looking into the room. She notices me sitting near the lockers and beckons me over. I walk over to her and follow her towards the arena.
"Was the helmet design necessary? I understand you want to hide your identity, but it seems excessive."
"I wanted something simpler, but I must've subconsciously made it like this." Like my armor it probably responded to my image of a raging monster.
"I see." Her expression looks conflicted. She looks like she wants to say something. "I understand that you're experience here wasn't the best and that you hold now love for the students, but I ask that you please show some restraint. This is still a learning for them, not a life or death match."
Seems she's still worried about the effects the ring has on me. Not that I blame her after what I've seen and felt while I've had this thing. "You don't gotta worry. I don't like the people here, but that doesn't mean I'll kill them. I'm not some child that'd throw a tantrum for someone bullying them. I brought it on myself in the first place when I faked my transcripts."
"That may be true, but the Headmaster still accepted you knowing the truth about them. If anything, he's just as guilty as you are."
"Maybe, but I still owe him for what he's done for me. If I hadn't come to Beacon I wouldn't have gotten this ring in the first place." I also wouldn't have nearly died, but there's no need to bring the mood down any further.
Ms. Goodwitch shows a hint of a smile. "It's nice to see that you can have a positive outlook on this situation. I was concerned that you'd become more hardened after everything."
"The ring might make me angry 24/7, but it doesn't mean it gets rid of my old self. I'm still the lovable goofball I always was. Just with a greater chance of punching someone in the face if they make me angry."
"Let's hope that holds true."
Reaching the end of the hallway we enter the training room. As we come into view the crowd of students begin to chatter amongst themselves. Looking around I notice that the entire stadiums filled to the brim. Everyone from first years to fourth years can be seen. Along with a few familiar faces.
Finally, I notice the person waiting inside the ring. It's an older female student, possibly a third year. She's equipped with a broadsword with a split in the middle. From the appearance it probably splits in two.
I've never seen her before, but I wasn't really here that long to actually know anyone else. She has shoulder length black hair tied back in a ponytail. She's about a head or so shorter than me, but still has a confident expression. I can't tell if it's because she thinks she'll win, or because she's happy to show off in a spar.
I make my way to the ring while Ms. Goodwitch heads to the side to referee the match. "This will be the first match of the sessions. You're allowed to use any method of attack you wish in the fight. There's no need to worry about your opponent, he's sufficiently equipped to handle anything you can throw at him."
My opponent gets into a fighting stance, but the smug expression remains. "I hope she's right. Because there's a new move I've been dying to try out and I'm worried about hurting my team. Luckily, there's a Huntsman here that can handle it. Supposedly at least."
I suppose she might be right. Earlier I said that a lantern could probably take on an entire kingdom by themselves, but I don't know how true that holds up. I'm sure we can take down a few groups of Huntsmen, but I haven't tested that out on a single person yet. Looks like now's the time to test it out.
"Both participant please prepare. The match will be starting shortly." The instructor inputs some final commands to the system as a countdown begins on the screen.
3…
I finally get into a basic hand to hand combat stance. I would go for a weapon construct, but it's probably better to see how strong my physical capabilities match up against someone with Aura.
2…
The power from the ring starts to slowly flow through me. I can feel the enchantments from the rage fueled piece of jewelry do its job.
1…
My unnamed opponent starts to bounce on her feet in anticipation for the fight to start. The grip on her sword shifts slightly as she prepares strike.
0!
The match begins with my opponent launching at me in a burst of speed. She brings her sword over head to land a powerful blow.
"Get ready! This is my new move I made. Let's hope you can handle it!"
She's closer now. About 10 feet or so. Her muscles in her arms tighten as she prepares to show her move.
"Here it is! My super deadly move!"
She's 5 feet away now. I prepare to preform my counter attack or dodge, depending on her next move.
"Omega Heavenly Sri—" My fist makes contact with her face before she even has time to finish her move's name.
Her body goes sailing across the ring and crashes against a wall near the stands. Any student near the first row stands up and runs over to look down at the defeated form of their peer. Looking at the Aura monitor reveals that her Aura's gone into the red after the punch with the wall taking her last sliver.
Several of the students look at me, dumbfounded at how quickly I defeated a third year. Even I'm slightly caught off guard by how easily that went. I knew the ring boosted physical capabilities by an incredible amount, but I didn't expect this much of a gap between me and someone with Aura.
"I suppose that's as proper of an opener as we could get." A voice calls out over the silence from the crowd. Everyone turns to the source of the voice to see Headmaster Ozpin making his way down the stadium stairs.
"Ozpin? I thought you'd be in your office handling paperwork by now." The mask helps to alter my voice slightly. My usual voice is now rougher, as though someone put it through a shredder.
"As did I. You did finish the documents I left on your desk, right sir?" A murderous aura surrounds Ms. Goodwitch as she sends a glare at the Headmaster.
The man in question simply takes a sip of his coffee and nonchalantly jumps down to join his fellow teacher. "I'm afraid not. After hearing the practice matches were starting I saw that it was far more important for me to be here for my students and give them words of encouragement."
"You mean you wanted to skip work and slack off while watching the students fight, right?" A weary hand comes to the blond teacher's forehead as she gives it a rub. "Who am I kidding? Of course, you did. What else would I expect."
"Why don't we continue with the sessions? No need to hold up on my account." The Headmaster waves us on to continue. As if he wasn't the reason we stopped in the first place. Two medical staff have already arrived to take the unconscious girl to the infirmary.
With a tired sigh the female professor continues on with the spars. She sets up the randomizer to decide who goes next. The wheel on the monitor spins until slowing down and stopping on the next participant.
"Shadow Arcane!"
The professor announces the next fighter. A male student stands up from the bleachers and makes his way towards the ring. He seems tenser than the last fighter. Maybe my quick victory scared some of them a bit.
Mr. Arcane arrives in the ring and prepares a battle stance. His weapon of choose is a naginata with a spike on the bottom. "You won't have it as easy as you did with that third year. I'm a fourth year, plus I'm prepared for you now. No quick victories for you."
This one at least seems to understand the situation better. The last girl had confidence, but didn't see the situation as much of a threat. Whether she was arrogant or not is hard to say, but it doesn't change the fact that she got too cocky.
"All fighters be prepared!" Ms. Goodwitch announces the beginning of the countdown.
The timer counts down as silence fills the room again. The buzzer calls out for the match to start. Immediately Mr. Arcane switches his weapon into gun mode. The blade splits down the middle and folds back. A mechanism inside changes the naginata into a long-range rifle, which he uses to open fire on me.
His shots are dead on for the most part, but not are damaging enough to actually do anything. A quick look at the Aura monitor shows that I haven't taken any damage. I can't tell if that's because the rings protective barrier just so happens to cover over my Aura, or if they're combined somehow.
Either way this fight needs to get moving. I charge forward to close the distance between the two of us and prepare a left hook. He ducks under the attack and tries to change his weapon mid swing back to its bladed form.
He swings in a wide arc to gain power for the attack. Which gives me the chance to grab the pole of the naginata. I lift the weapon overhead, along with its owner, and slam them back down onto the ground. To finish the job, I give him a quick stomp to the chest.
A small crater form with spider web cracks spreading out about another 15 feet or so. Like before, his Aura's fades. Though he seems to have some left unlike the girl before. His training shows if he was able to focus his Aura to clock most of the damage.
"I believe that's the match." Ozpin takes another sip from his cup. He looks to Glynda to set up another match.
With Ruby
The next several matches go more or less the same as the first two. Anyone who gets called who gets called to the ring tries their best to put up a fight, only to end up knocked out and sent to the infirmary. Not even the fourth years can do anything about it.
"So, what do you guys think about this?"
My sister asks from her seat to my right. When the matches started she seemed really excited to fight someone this strong. But after the 5th match when the girl got punched 30 feet in the air. Luckily whoever this guy is caught her before she landed.
"I can't say much. Whoever this Huntsman is knows how to fight. At least in hand to hand. He doesn't seem to possess any weapons that o can see, but you never know. He could have something hidden in his armor."
My partner gives her thoughts on the fighter. She almost sounds impressed.
"That's true. It's rare to see someone fight just hand to hand like this. Then again, he seems to have the power to back it up."
With Yang being a hand to hand fighter herself she's excited to see someone so strong that fights like her.
"What are your thoughts, Pyrrha? As a tournament champion you must have some insight."
The spartan thinks about Weiss' question while looking closer at the armored opponent fighting his latest challenger.
"I can't say much I'm afraid. He seems very powerful, but it's not like his martial arts is very strong. The power behind his punches is there, but the technique is lacking."
"Pyrrha's right. He's just using brute strength, no substance to any of his moves."
The resident silent martial artist gives his two lien on the fighter. Looking at it now he's right. While this guy has amazing power, his moves are simple.
"Oh, come one Renny! So what if he isn't a super ninja like you are? It doesn't change the fact that he's still kicking everyone's butts!"
Seems the fights are doing something for Nora at least. Her energy seems to be returning, if only a little.
The buzzer rings again, announcing the latest opponents defeat. This time the guy got buried head first in the ring. Speaking of which, the ring itself looks like it's seen better days. Bits and pieces of it scattered around the room.
"We'll have one more match before we change out the ring."
The combat instructor starts the selection process again. The wheel starts up again as other students squirm in their seat. Not that I blame them. Already two different people chose to pass on the match.
The wheel comes to a stop again. This time a first year.
Cardin Winchester.
Honestly, I don't feel sorry for this one. Ever since the incident in Forever Fall he's had this odd sense of confidence. Because he revealed… Jaune's fake transcripts his name became known around the school. Some of the first years congratulated him for bringing 'that faker to justice' as some of them said.
The bully let the little bit of attention he got go to his head. Now whenever he bullied someone he did it more openly. None of the other students did much to stop him because he had the support of those who praised him. It wasn't too much to cause any problems for the school as teachers quickly brought his acts under heel, but it didn't change the fact that he felt like top dog of the school.
With a cocky strut the large boy heads down to the ring, with his teammates close behind him. The professor did say that anyone chosen could bring their team with them if they wanted. Probably the best decision the jerks made sense coming to this school.
A few cheers come from the small group of supporters he has, along with several more boos. That doesn't seem to sit well with them. Looks like there'll be some trouble after this is done.
I look back into the ring to see how the mystery Huntsman feels about this. I'm shocked to find what I see. For some reason it looks like his entire bodies… glowing?
Back with Jaune
"Are you sure this is the best idea, sir? Given Mr. Arc's history with Mr. Winchester—"
"There's no need to worry, Glynda. I'm sure Mr. Arc can keep his temper under control. Am I right?"
The professors and myself are talking in a hushed tone near the tunnel to the locker rooms. When my next opponent was announced Ms. Goodwitch called me over for a talk. After hearing the announcement, I can say that it's not having the best effect on me. It took a lot for me to not jump at the moron and beat him to a bloody pulp.
"I don't know sir. I can feel the rage building up in me. The ring's been saying my power level's been rising." The thing's almost at 50%. From what Guy said the ring will power up the angrier I get, so for it to be at half already unsettles me.
"That might be true, but I trust our judgment in this case." The Headmaster places his hand on my shoulder. He gives me a reaffirming squeeze while looking me in the eyes. "You've been able to hold in your rage the entire time you've been at this school. It shows that you still have control over yourself, that you're more than just that ring."
Maybe… maybe he's right. It's not like I have any good memories of this place, and I still haven't burnt this whole place to the ground. If I can hold out this long, then another hour or so shouldn't be that difficult. If it gets too bad, I'll tell them to call off the matches. I'm sure they'd understand.
"… Alright. I'll keep going. If things start to go too far, tell me. I don't like these guys, but I don't wanna kill them."
"Good." Ozpin takes his hand off my shoulder and makes his way over to the sidelines. "With that done we can continue. I have absolute faith in your ability to control your emotions, Mr. Arc."
Ms. Goodwitch stays for a moment before giving me a nod and joining the Headmaster. I look back to the team waiting in the ring. They seem confident for the most part. Cardin has a grin on his face from a false sense of strength. Dove and Russel stand on his sides, the same undeserved confidence oozing from them. The only one that has any degree of fear is Sky, who's standing behind his team shaking a bit.
Just looking at them makes me wanna throw up napalm on them. A few drops of it even drip out from my mouth. Good thing this helmet covers my face, or else there'd be some concern.
I walk back to the ruined ring to start the match. And vent a little frustration.
Cardin throws his mace over his shoulder as he struts forward. "So, you're some kinda big shot Huntsman, right? You've done a great job of taking care of that trash from earlier, but let's see how you deal with a real Huntsman-in-training!"
… Really? Does he honestly think he's some kinda master Huntsman now, when he couldn't even beat an Ursa by himself? Did something happen these past few days, or am I just crazy? A few cheers come from the crowd. Some sound like they're cheering for Cardin. Most sound like they're me. It's kinda weird after all the boos I got just a week ago.
"Fighters! Please prepare for the match to start!"
The announcement pulls me from my stupor. The enemy team gets into battle formation. If you can call it that. The execution timer starts again.
3….
One breath.
2….
Two breaths.
1….
Three breaths.
0!
The fight starts with Dove and Russel flank my left and right respectively. Sky comes out from behind his leader and tries to charge at me from the front. Russel uses the gun function of his daggers to get several shots on me while Dove draws closer.
The shots are easy to block with the rings barrier around me. Dove tries a sideways slash as he approaches my left. I'm able to duck under it and sweep his legs. Using his own momentum, I throw him at the charging Sky. The dark blue haired boy barely has a second to register what's happening before his own teammate crashes into him.
Seeing his teammates knocked back, Russel charges at me alone. The swipes of his daggers are fast, but predictable. On the last strike he over extends himself, allowing me the chance to land a blow to his exposed stomach. The airs knocked out of him as he flies across the ring.
The two entangled members free themselves and await their leader's order's. This whole time Cardin's been standing in the back, watching his teammates get beaten while he does nothing. He looks frustrated at how badly he's losing and finally decides to do something.
"If you idiots can't take on one guy by yourselves then why are you even here!?" He brings his mace down from his shoulder and gets ready to come at me himself. "If you want something done right then you gotta do it yourself!"
The oaf charges at me with an angry expression. Along the way his remaining two teammates join him in a V formation. As they draw closer I prepare a left hook for the leader. I swing at him when he's within my strike range.
Before my attack can land, something unexpected happens. Cardin grabs Sky from his left and throws him in the way of my punch. The unexpecting boy takes the full brunt of my attack to his face, causing blood to spew from his mouth and knock a few teeth out. He goes sailing past his teammates as they continue their attack.
I feel a blow to my back, shaking me slightly. The attack didn't do much, but it's one of the few good strikes I've received today. Looking over my shoulder I see Dove stumbling back at the ineffectiveness of his attack. I prepare to attack him for that, but I'm stopped by another attack to my ribs.
Cardin used my confusion to land another attack on me. This time it did more than Dove's did, but not by much. I hated Cardin before, but after seeing him use his own teammate as a shield, my rage is that much more. And the angrier I get, the stronger I get.
I use my back hand to strike at the scared boy behind me. The reassuring crack of his jaw causes me no joy, but maybe this next one will. Now it's Cardin's turn to be on the defensive. After finally accepting the situation he's in he stumbles back, but catches himself before he falls.
"Is that it? Is that all you got?" I sigh disappointedly at his pathetic attempts to fight me. After weeks of dealing with his harassment, I expected him to put up more of a fight. But this? This is just pathetic. "After all that big talk you gave me I thought you could do more. Looks like you were all talk."
Slowly, I pull my fist back to deliver a straight punch to his chest. He tries to use his mace to block the attach, but I easily break through it. My punch sinks into his chest, tearing his armor apart as it pushes through.
Rather than allowing him the joy of taking a free air trip, I continue to push my fist into him and force him to he ground. Like the guy from earlier a crater forms around him. I continue to look him in the eyes for what feels like forever. As I look deeper I notice something. Something that causes me a bit of happiness. I can see his fear!
After the absolutely crushing defeat at my hands, he's afraid of the one who did it. He's afraid of me. Soon, the color of his eyes fades as he seems to fall unconscious. I stand up after confirming he's beaten and start to head outside the ring.
"Rahhh!"
A sudden shout from my side catches me off. A sudden quick blow to my head almost knocks me off my feet. Since I thought the fight was done I put my barrier down to save energy. With nothing expect my construct to shield me my head rings slightly.
The helmet that I made to hide my face falls to the ground and rolls away. Now there's nothing. There's nothing to hide my face from everyone seeing it.
Realizing that there's no point in worrying about it now, I turn to see the sneak attacker. Russel stands there dumbfounded to my right. He looks me in the eyes before dropping his daggers.
"Y-you?"
He's knocked to the floor with a quick jab to the ribs. The buzzer goes off, announcing everyone on team CRDL's defeat. I look to the helmet on the side of the ring. There's no point in it anymore. My identities already been revealed, no point in it anymore.
I will the construct away and walk off to the side to wait for the new ring to be brought out. Ms. Goodwitch looks at me with a concerned expression before looking down to her monitor.
"We'll take a few minutes to switch out the rings. In the mean time please wait until we start back up."
With Team RWBY and NPR
… I can't… believe it. It's… him. I only saw it for a second, but I know his face. That light blonde hair, those deep blue eyes, it must be him.
"Guys… is that who I think it is?"
"You have to be seeing things, Yang. There's no way… it's him."
"But you saw him. You saw his face. It has to be him."
They're right. I know they are.
Jaune's alive.