Welcome to Ch 24 of TPA where madness will continue.

Jaune felt conflicted. On the one hand, after watching several fights, he had to admit this whole deal wasn't just pure craziness. Nora, or Syrup Queen, wasn't just watching fights - she often gave challenges, like fighting only in melee, or ordered Weiss - aka Ice Angel - to use her ice Dust to change scenery of arena a bit.

There were a few group fights as well. Sometimes it was two vs two, sometimes more. She would mix combatants too, forcing people from different teams, or even different years to work together.

Jaune had to admit, it looked not only fun, but also educational. That's why, when Ren said Ozpin not only knew about all of this, but approved, and supported, Jaune didn't feel too conflicted, though he still refused to acknowledge the tall figure covered in a green cloak with a clockwork theme sewn on it, and a very familiar cane. He wore a white porcelain mask with a painted wide smile and a small, black mustache and beard.

It was one thing to approve, but to take part in this madness?

And to think i worked for this guy...

On the other hand though, this was something Nora not only came up with, but was in charge of. This basically guaranteed that something crazy would happen. If the fact that there were nearly two hundred masked, and cloaked figures apparently fighting 'for the glory of the Pancake Throne' wasn't crazy enough.

Jaune sighed, and focused back on the arena. A group of five students - one third, two second, and two first years were valiantly defending a small ice 'castle' made by Weiss, for the past ten minutes or so. Their opponents were group of ten first years - all from different teams.

The defenders were doing good, considering the difference in numbers, but both first years, and one of the second years were already eliminated. It looked like the defenders would fall with next assault, but Nora got up, raising her hammer high. The combatants stopped, and focused on her.

"I'm pleased." She announced after a few moments of contemplation. "Both sides fought well, and thine bravery brings honour to the Pancake Throne. Those that have fallen, may rise again." The crowd cheered, and both teams left the arena, chatting and laughing..

Nora allowed this for a few moments, then slammed Manghild on the platform she stood at, silencing the crowd.

"You have fought well, my brave warriors. Your Queen is pleased. But verily, the next event is nigh. Initiations!"

The crowd roared their approval, and several people were pushed into the arena - Jaune among them. And by the looks of it - he was the only one who wasn't too thrilled about it.

"Welcome, brave souls, to this, the most glorious of arenas. Tonight, you shall have the chance to prove yourself in front of your Queen! Fight well, fight with honor, and ye shall be rewarded. Disappoint me, and thee shall feel the full force of my wrath. Now, let us commence!"

The crowd roared again, clapping, stomping, and whistling.

"Syrup for the Syrup Queen!" Someone shouted.

"Pancakes for the Pancake Throne!" Someone else responded.

The crowd soon picked it up. Nora silenced them after a few moments and spoke.

"Normally, I would have one of my Champions test the mettle of these newcomers, but lo, this time is a bit different. One of the warriors not of our arena wishes to make a request."

She slammed half of her hammer on the wooden platform, sweeping one hand in front of her.

"Let's hear his plea!"

The crowd roared their approval. Nora smiled, watching three masked teens made their way to her. They stopped about two meters before her, and dropped to one knee.

"My Queen! I humbly request you allow me to test one of the Initiates myself!" Said the biggest of them, obviously the leader.

Nora nodded to herself, watching the people kneeling before her with vague interest.

"A bold request. Why would ye think ye can perform this holy task better than one of my Champions? Or maybe ye think yourself worthy of joining their ranks?"

Jaune could only facepalm.

Nora, just quit the act already.

"No My Queen! I ask for this honor just this one time, for there is one among those initiates I believe is not worth standing in your presence! Of course, I understand how big of a request this is. That's why I prepared some offerings!"

At that, two of the teens behind him walked forward, and placed two sizable boxes in front of Nora. Jaune couldn't see their contents, but could hazard a guess.

"I see…"

Nora contemplated something for a few moments, then nodded.

"Very well." She rose from her throne and spread her arms wide."Iron Hunter! Youe plea has been heard. Its boldness amuses me, and thine offerings please me. Your wish will be granted!" The crowd roared, in appreciation of their merciful Queen.

Jaune groaned.

This can't be happening. This is not happening. I feel like I end up in some cult.

"Thou may select one, and only one, from the initiates. However, ye have no right of Judgment. Such is reserved for my person, or one of my Champions." She sat back on her throne and slammed the haft on Manghild on the platform.

"Now go! Please your Queen!"

Jaune glared at his teammate - even though he was sure she couldn't see him.

This is going to be such a pain in the ass…

His eyes narrowed when this so-called Iron Hunter came closer. The guy looked familiar - the way he moved, his armor, and the hair he could see peeking from under the metal mask modeled after some comic superhero.

Wait, is it Cardin?

The teen stopped right in front of Jaune, and poked him in the chest.

"You." He snarled. "We will fight. And by 'we will fight,' I mean 'I'll kick your ass so hard you will fly out out Beacon, right into your mom's arms'. So prepare yourself, because Iron Hunter is going to bring some Iron Justice onto you!" He finished with a roar, brandishing his mace.

Jaune grinned.

Ok, I take it back. He thought, drawing his sword and deploying his shield. This is going to be so much fun.

He took a deep breath, and let it go slowly. Cardin rolled his shoulders and made two lazy swings with his mace.

Ok, think. What do I know about him? Besides the fact he is an asshole.

"I have been waiting for this moment Jaune-boy." Cardin said. Jaune couldn't see his face, but he was willing to bet money that the other teen was smirking.

He is strong, but from what I've seen, not very fast. Very aggressive, will sometimes take a hit just so he can get clean one of his own.

"For a moment there, I thought you wouldn't come. That you would run away like the little coward that you are."

He is proud. If angered he will rush in blindly. Solid Aura reserves, but not very mobile, so in this regard we are similar.

"But here you are, and that makes me happy." He bent his knees, grabbed his mace in both hands, and lifted it over one shoulder. "Because I finally get the chance to crush you!" He roared, and charged at blond hunter.

Jaune sidestepped, letting the larger teen run past him, watching his opponent form over the rim of his shield.

"What's wrong, Jaune boy? Scared? Too bad, it's already too late to run."

That was slow… I think he is even slower than me. But that mace of his does pack a punch, better not take his attacks head on.

Cardin tried another charge, but Jaune sidestepped it as well. With a huff of annoyance, Cardin walked up to his opponent, delivering a powerful overhead blow. Jaune sidestepped it too, eyes narrowed.

That was too telegraphed to be a regular attack. Is he trying to bait me?

Cardin roared, and threw a wide, horizontal swing. Jaune jumped back, swatted another overhead blow with his shield and sidestepped a tackle.

Ok, these baits are a bit too obvious. Does he really think I'll fall for it?

"Come on Jaune. At least try to hit me. Here, I'll make it easier for you." He taunted, spreading his arm wide and walking slowly towards his opponent.

Is this guy for real? Jaune tensed, considering his options. Cardin was baiting him - it was obvious. All the strikes up until now were so telegraphed, he could see them coming from a mile away. Not only that, but Cardin always left himself wide open. And now this?

Jaune sighed.

He would have to be an idiot to fall for it. Because there was no way that his opponent really was that slow.

Right?

Well, only one way to find out.

Cardin, apparently annoyed by the lack of reaction from his opponent, charged in with another wide swing. Jaune jumped back, and lashed out with his sword, scoring a hit on Cardin's wrist.

The mace wielder snarled, and reversed his swing. Jaune stepped in, taking the mace haft on his shield, stabbing under his opponent's armor and jumped back. Cardin roared, enraged, and followed after him. The blond boy feinted an overhead strike, and instead slashed at his opponent knee, slamming his shield into his arm at the same time.

Ok, so he really is that slow. The blond thought, jumping back.

Cardin glared at his opponent, no longer so eager to attack.

"Finally decide to put up a fight? I must admit, I almost felt those love taps."

Jaune shifted his stance slightly. Oh, you gonna feel what will come next.

"But if you think it will be eno…" was all Cardin managed to say, before he had to parry Crocea Mors blade sailing towards his face. He managed to raise his mace in time to catch the blade on the metal shaft, but couldn't do anything against the shield that slammed into his face. He cursed, and tried to counterattack, but a shield to the face, followed by a quick stab to stomach forced him to defend.

"What's wrong… Iron Hunter was it? Don't tell me you are just all talk." Jaune taunted.

Cardin roared and charged, mace held high intending to crush his opponent. Jaune sidestepped again, slamming his shield into his opponent's side when he passed by. Cardin stumbled, and clumsy parried the next strike. Well, tried to at least. He realized the sword sailing towards his head was just another feint only when Jaune's foot caught him in the stomach, throwing him back.

Cardin somehow managed to stay on his feet - but not for long. Another shield bash to the face sent him to the ground. He tried to get up, but a foot on his chest, and a sword at his throat stopped him.

"The way I see it, this can end in two ways." Jaune said, with a small, friendly smile. "Either you give up, or I can keep beating you up until your Aura runs out. I don't mind either way, so make your call."

Cardin glared at his opponent. For a moment Jaune though he would try to attack him, but eventually the downed teen let go of his mace and slumped.

Jaune smiled and took his foot off his chest. He didn't lower his guard though - Cardin looked like the kind of guy who would attack you from behind the moment you looked away.

"Well, well, well. Such a shameful display, wouldn't you say so, Iron Hunter?" Nora's voice boomed.

"My Queen, that's.."

"Silence. Make not excuses, it will just make ye look more pathetic." She hummed, then slammed the haft of Magnhild down. "Thou seem to be a bit rusty. Is it from lack of proper fights? Or just laziness? Either way, I don't think 'Iron Hunter' is a name befitting you." She hummed then smiled. " From now on, until thou prove thyself worthy, thy name shall be Rusty. Now, leave this sacred Arena, and let one of my champions perform a proper Initiation."

Cardin looked like he wanted to argue, but eventually just shot glare at Jaune and left.

That felt… oddly satisfying. He rolled his shoulders and looked up at the platform with Nora's throne. Now the question is, who I will be fighting next?"

He didn't have to wonder for long. A familiar figure started walking down towards the arena, weapon in hand. The crowd started cheering, and Jaune grinned. His next opponent would prove much more challenging than Cardin.

"You ready? I won't go easy on you, so if you want to back off, now's your chance." She asked.

"Why would I? I'm warmed up, and it would be rude to make a lady wait like that." He answered, getting into his stance.

Weiss smiled and nodded.

"Very well. Then brace yourself."

She walked slowly, watching the blond boy carefully. He mirrored her actions, and fell into a familiar stance. Left foot forwards, shield held at an angle, both to better deflect incoming attacks, and hide his sword arm from view.

She glanced over arena, even though she'd seen it numerous times. But this time she focused, noting every detail she could.

It was small, much smaller than what Hunters usually fought at. She winced a little. That meant she had less space to retreat. But on the other hand - it would be easier to control the whole battlefield.

"You ready? I…" she called out, even though she knew answer. Of course he was ready, that… fight against Cardin was nothing more than a warm up for him. He could go at it for hours - she knew from personal experience. As their small talk continued, she began to formulate a plan.

I need to keep my distance, he will win if he can corner me. The arena is small, I won't have much space to dodge… but neither will he. I can use my ice Dust to create a wall to stop his charge, then retreat, and bombard him from a distance. When he puts his shield up to defend, I can circle behind him, strike, and retreat.

… is probably what she is planning. Thought Jaune, observing the heiress. She can easily take control of this small arena if I give her the opportunity. I need to put pressure on her from the start. She doesn't have much space behind her, so, using the wall as cover, she will dodge to the side. If I can predict which direction she will go, I can intercept her, that would make it much easier. If instead of charging straight ahead, I go….

… from the side, he would at least know where I went, even if he goes to the opposite side. And he would be able use the wall as cover. I could try to freeze him when he comes out, but then it will be me who will have to make the right guess. Should I try a preemptive attack? He isn't that fast, I should be able to pull something off before...

… I reach her. Jaune glanced to Nora, who raised her hammer high. Ok, time's up. Attack, or dodge? Left or right? He tensed, eyes narrowing. He knew this instant at the beginning of the battle, this would be the only time when he would have the initiative. As soon as the first move was made, he had to catch heiress. Otherwise she would be able to easily dictate the tempo of fight.

And even though he knew that if all else failed, he could just turtle up and try to outlast her - that wasn't best tactic.

He frowned when he noticed the heiress dropping to one knee, settling in a position oddly similar to a sprinter's starting stance. Would she try to rush him? That would be strange - they both knew he was better at close quarters. Then again, she might opt for continuous charges using her glyphs to speed herself up. Not a bad idea, but extremely risky. One miscalculation, and she would get his shield to the face, and that would end the fight.

Then again, she might be just messing with him. Taking a strange stance to make him wary, make his distracted, start overthinking things. Wouldn't be the first time.

Nora's hammer hit the platform.

Jaune jumped to the left, rolled and got up. No attack came his way, instead, a nearly four meter high wall of ice erupted between him and Weiss.

Damn.

He charged ahead, trying to figure what would be the heiress' next move.

She will dash out, and start barraging me with attacks from range. But which way will she go? Left, or right?

He ran left. Seeing no sign of his opponent, he raised his shield just as he rounded the corner, ready to take…

Nothing.

Surprised, he looked over his shield. The first thing he noticed was the distinctive lack of Weiss in front of him. The second was a Dust blast that hit him in the face.

So it was up. Clever.

He clenched his teeth and raised his shield, wincing as another blast hit the metal surface. He considered his options for a few moments, then decided to fall back. Weiss took the initiative, and there was little he could do to change that, beside waiting for her to tire out.

Weiss sent one more blast at the retreating blond, and then he hid around the corner of the ice wall she made. Making such a big wall costed her a lot of Dust, and using glyphs as footholds for a long time was exhausting, but it was better than trying to go face-to-face with Jaune.

She sighed and made a few more glyphs, jumping around the wall, and trying to get a better angle to continue her bombardment. She had never tried this tactic against him, simply because back then she couldn't control her glyphs well enough.

She smirked.

You might beat me in a straight fight. But you didn't think I didn't learn any new tricks, did you?

She smirked and began to form another glyph. Oh, she had a lot of new tricks to show to her old friend.

Jaune clenched his teeth as another barrage fell on him. He tried to dodge out of way, but a black glyph that formed under his feet stopped him from moving.

Ok, so she has a few new trick. That was expected, nothing to worry about. I can still work with it.

Suddenly his body become weightless, and he shot up, stopping roughly at the same height as the heiress. Five more glyphs formed around his legs, waist, and arms, locking them in place. Dozens more appeared all around him, forming a dome.

Oh shit…

He had barely a split second to activate his Semblance and harden his Aura before Weiss charged at him. She dashed from glyph to glyph, striking him at incredible speeds each time she passed. With his hands locked in place, all he could do was to clench his teeth and try to endure. He could feel his Aura drop like crazy, but Weiss couldn't keep this up for long.

Right?

Thankfully, this fierce assault lasted only a few seconds, glyphs all around him disappearing one by one, until only one remained. Weiss landed upon it gracefully, and considered him for a second.

Then a black glyph formed over his head.

Oh shit.

Even though her face was obscured by mask, he knew she was smirking.

The floor of the arena they were fighting on was solid stone, but Weiss still managed to bury him halfway into it.

Ok, that hurt. He pushed himself up, and glared at his opponent. This was starting to look really bad.

This is… no good.

Her attacks were effective, she knew it. But she wasn't sure she could keep it up. Already she was feeling it, her breath not yet labored, but close to it.

Should I go down, or stay above? I could try to make some ice pillars, and use those as footholds.

The idea was good, too bad she couldn't make it into a reality. Making ice structures solid enough for her to stand atop required concentration. Only a moment - but she knew it was all her opponent needed.

She preferred to not catch his shield to face, thank you very much.

With a sigh, she focused and send another barrage at downed blond. He rolled, got up, and started frantically dodging her attacks. It didn't go too well for him - the arena was small, and with no obstacles to hide behind, he was sitting duck.

She huffed, ignoring the beads of sweat running down her face. Was this a good, or bad tactic? She had no idea. Without Aura displays she had no way of knowing how much damage she was doing to her opponent. All she could do was to keep attacking, and hope her stamina lasted longer than his Aura.

And not think about how many times she had won endurance matches against him. There had to be a first time for everything, right?

This is bad. Thought Jaune. He honestly didn't expect such a fierce assault from the heiress. She usually preferred to control her opponent, usually by freezing either the area around them, or the person themself.

Well, at least that was how she fought back in the day. In hindsight, it might have been a bit too naive to not assume she had adjusted her fighting style.

Another barrage hit him, and Jaune grit his teeth. For now he was pinned, unable to do anything. But Weiss was slowing down. Not only was there were less blast in each burst, they were getting weaker, and there was more time between each. He was getting used to her rhythm,

Of course this could be trap. She could be baiting him to lower his guard, so she can get some stronger attack in.

But then launching him in the air like she did earlier would be more effective. Judging by the fact she didn't do anything like that, instead opting to just hop from glyph to glyph, and rain attacks down on him, told him that it was too exhausting an attack to use repeatedly.

So now all he had to do was to wait, let her tire out, read her rhythm. And then…

Jaune smirked.

Well, Weiss wasn't only one who had some new tricks.

Just go down already!

She glared at the crouching boy. Did he get even tougher since the last time they fought? This was honestly cheating. And the bastard was using the armor that she got him! The nerve of some people…

With a huff of annoyance she sent a few weak attacks, just to distract him, and made another glyph. She was starting to slow down, she knew it. She could try to use a gravity glyph again, but those were very taxing. And without knowing how much damage she really did to him, it was better to focus on a steady stream of attacks, instead of try to break him down. She knew she didn't pack enough punch to do that - it was more of Yang's thing.

Did I just made a pun?

She shook her head. She definitely was spending too much time with the blond brawler. Not only she was corrupting her mind with her poor jokes - now she was distracting her in the middle of battle. Unforgivable!

She shook her head and focused back on her opponent. She was getting tired, and fast. Should she go back to the ground? It would let her catch her breath for a moment, but would put her at more risk. Up here Jaune couldn't reach her - as long as she kept an eye on his shield she was safe.

She threw another barrage of attacks, and hooped on another glyph. She landed, faced her opponent, and cursed when a piece of rock flew by her face.

Is he throwing rocks at me?!

Another, bigger piece of stone that hit her in the leg confirmed that yes, Jaune decided to go on the offensive by using pieces of broken arena. And there was quite a few of them lying around.

That little…

She ducked under another projectile, and answered with barrage of her own. If this blond dunce thought he could beat her with something like that….

She ignored the next pebble flying towards her, instead focused on sending another barrage at the now exposed blond.

The explosion wasn't big, but it was loud and flashy enough to break her concentration. The glyph she was standing on shattered, and she fell to the ground.

Flashbangs!? When did he…

She cursed and focused. She would ask these questions later - preferably with tip of her rapier at his throat - but for now, she had more pressing concerns.

The glyph was hastily made, and unstable, but was enough to slow down her descent. She hit the ground hard, but not hard enough to knock air out of her, and instantly rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the sharp blade that slammed into where she was just a moment before.

She managed to push herself up, deflected an overhead strike, and stumbled back when his shield caught her in the face. She cursed, and shot a blast of ice Dust, hoping to distract her attacker for just split a second. She threw herself back, aided by a half formed glyph, creating some much needed distance.

Jaune didn't intend to let her off so easily, rushing right after her. She formed another glyph, too late noticing something - or rather the lack of something in front of her.

Her back hit the ice wall she created at the beginning of the battle. She cursed and threw herself to the side, dodging his sword, but leaving herself open for the kick that sent her to the ground. She rolled, but Jaune was already upon her.

She kicked him in the knee - and by some miracle she actually managed to stagger him.

Guess I did more damage than I thought.

She kicked again, and got up with a back flip. Jaune charged in, not letting her get away.

This is bad…

She was losing, and losing hard. She had to do something to create distance, to get some breathing room. But locked in melee like that, there was little she could do. Her gaze slipped to the ice walk behind Jaune, and idea formed in her mind.

It was risky, crazy, borderline suicidal… but it was her only chance.

She ducked under a horizontal slash, and rolled behind him, throwing a stab at his knee. He bucked a little, but not enough to fall over. She got up and turned, her rapier held defensively in front of her.

As expected, Jaune charged, shield first. He didn't tried to knock her down, instead he continued his charge, carrying them both towards ice wall.

Weiss focused what was left of her Aura. A moment later, her back hit ice.

She clenched her teeth and focused. This was all or nothing. She used her rapier to defend herself as best as she could, her other hand placed against the ice wall. She needed to focus, it was her only chance…. Now!

The wall exploded, showering them both in sharp ice shards. Jaune, who was pushing at her, didn't expect to lose support so suddenly, stumbled, and fell.

Weiss used this momentary distraction to roll to the side and jump to her feet. She took a deep breath and faced her opponent in a classic fencer stance - left foot forward, sword arm slightly bent, other held behind her back.

Jaune scanned her over, no doubt wondering what kind of tricks she planned this time. Not seeing anything, he rolled his shoulders, took his own stance, and started slowly advancing towards her.

For a moment she was tempted to try and back off, but discarded the idea. If she moved, he would rush her, and she wouldn't get another chance to break free. This was her only chance.

Now keep calm. You have only one shot at this. He knows you are planning something, but doesn't know what. I can't do anything to tip him off.

So she just stood there, weapon at the ready, and eyes focused on his. Jaune on the other hand was advancing slowly, eyes constantly scanning his surrounding, looking for any traps. He was close now, very close. He could rush her at any moment.

Keep calm. Just a bit closer…

Jaune made another careful step.

Weiss eyes flicked down, towards his feet.

He reacted in an instant, throwing himself to the side. Too late he realized that there were no attack coming, that this is just a feint. He cursed, got on one knee, and cursed again when he realized Weiss was already upon him.

His parry was clumsy, and far overextended, but it did throw her rapier to the side, and left her open. She twisted, sidestepping his counter - and then threw the small piece of ice she held in her other hand at him. His eyes widened, and then he cursed for a third time when a small glyph formed on the sparkling surface.

It exploded a second later, showering his face with tiny bits of ice. It wasn't enough to do any damage, but it did blind him for a moment - enough for Weiss to tackle him to the ground.

Jaune stared at the tip of her rapier resting at his neck.

Then he grinned, his muscles relaxing.

"Good fight." He said.

She smiled at him. He couldn't see it, but she was sure he knew anyway.

"Indeed, it was." She answered, getting up and offering him a hand.

He chuckled, accepting it.

"I must say I'm surprised. Never expected you would be so desperate to get on top of me."

She scoffed.

"Like you are one to talk. You were so eager to stab me with your sword after you pinned me to the wall, you stopped paying attention to anything."

"Now, now, don't be like that." He rolled his shoulders and waved to cheering crowd. "By the way, what was up with you staying up in the air whole time? I thought you wanted to have some fun?"

He said, punching her shoulder.

She huffed and punched pack.

"I did had fun. Showing you your place. Which is far below me, in case you've forgotten." She huffed again, crossing her arms, and raising her head.

"Plebeians like you have to be taught respect from time to time, lest you forget your place and stop showing respect to your betters." She added in an arrogant tone.

Jaune laughed. He made to answer, but the now familiar sound of metal hitting wooden platform caused them both to look up.

"Splendid! Your Queen is pleased. Champion, bring this Initiate before my personage!" Nora commanded.

Weiss sighed, and shrugged, walking towards the 'Queen', Jaune following close behind.

They stopped a few steps before her, Weiss coughing and pointing one hand at an amused Jaune.

"My Queen! You saw his fight, you saw his prowess, you saw his bravery. I deem this one worthy of joining the Ring of Masks!"

Nora nodded a few times, then rose from her seat.

"I hath seen, and I approve!" She called out, earning cheers from the gathered crowd. She then focused on Jaune.

"Ye hath proven yourself worthy Initiate. I might even make ye one of my champions. But first - what name shall thee be called by? Choose wisely, and know that if I decided it underwhelming, I might pick one myself."

Jaune hummed. This whole masquerade - pun not intended -was going a bit further than he liked. But then again - what was the harm in playing along?

So, a name, huh?

He considered his options. It probably should be something personal, something that described him in some way. He spent a few moments lost in thought, trying to figure something out. He was idly aware of how quiet the whole place become.

They really make a big fuss out of this, huh?

Well, all the more reason to take it seriously. But what could be… And then he recalled something, a memory from over two years ago, that brought smile to his face.

But should he? It was a bit silly…

Ah, to hell with that. Worst thing that will happen is she will reject it and pick something for me.

He took a deep breath and looked Nora in the eyes.

"Yellow Wolf."

There were a few moments of tense silence, while Nora considered his answer. Then she nodded.

"Very Well! I welcome you to our glorious Ring, Yellow Wolf!" The crowd exploded in cheers. Someone started chanting his new name, and soon nearly two hundred voices were shouting 'yellow wolf'.

Nora allowed it for a moment, then slammed her hammer down.

"Now, onto the next Initiation. Which one of my champions will take upon this holy task?"

One person raised up, her blond hair waving as she started walking towards the arena.

Jaune looked at her opponent, and bowed slightly.

My condolences.

He followed Weiss, sitting next to her at the wooden platform.

The next fight began shortly after.

Here we go - Jaune's debiut in Ring of Masks. Not as crazy as it could be, right?

Anyway, I learned something interesting when I was working on the previous chapter, and it kind got confirmed in this one - writing Jaune and Weiss interacting with each other comes way too easily for me. No idea why, or how, but it's just… happening.

No omake this time. See you guys next week.