Endless Pages Lead to Endless Worlds

by LordHellPhoenix

In the grand scheme of the Multiverse, many of these worlds are greatly effected by Jaune Arc. So a bored Writer decides to bring some of those closest to the Knight to witness some of these worlds firsthand. What effects will this, once in a lifetime, chance have on these few? Only one way to find out: Take a look into the Phoenix Roost. (Reaction series. Coverart: Khor Evik)

23. Duty or Love

Source Material: Bleach- Episodes 54-55, 57-59

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The viewers from Remnant were just wrapping up their few minutes of time Phoenix had given them. Some had taken the chance to use the restrooms while others went out to further explore the Phoenix Roost. Even with all the exploring they had done, they still kept finding more and more to the Writer's home.

Two of those individuals were just walking through the halls and just catching up. Those two were Weiss and Winter. The younger sister was telling her older sister of everything that had happened in her time at Beacon, trying to reign in her excitement for finally being able to speak to her again. Meanwhile Winter was just giving that small and reigned in smile she saved for only her sister as she listened. "Well I'm glad to hear that everything at Beacon has been going well for you, Weiss. I was still somewhat sad that you didn't decide to come to Atlas but it seems you've started to really come into your own."

Weiss smiled and blushed slightly at the praise. She then looked down, with the smile not fading, "Well it wasn't just me. I had a lot of help from our professors. And my team has been great. We were a bit rough around the edges… A good part of that was because of me. But Ruby, Yang and Blake are the biggest reason for me moving on from that." She giggled to herself slightly, "They've quickly become my closest friends. We're practically sisters now."

"Oh joy." Winter spoke up, "Three more people have to keep an eye on and make sure behave themselves." She said it in a critical tone but that same smile was still on her lips, showing she was joking.

That made Weiss smile more, "And they are quite the handful."

"And I've seen that you are pretty close to the members of that other team. I can assume you count them among your friends."

"They live right across the hall from us." She looked away in embarrassment, "I was a bit obsessed with Pyrrha and wanted her to be my partner but after I… curbed that idea, we started to become good friends. But I think we are so close because Jaune and Ruby had hit it off so well on the first day."

"Yes, this Jaune fellow. I still don't know what to make of him. The only references I have are from the worlds we have seen so far and I don't know how much stock I should put into them." Winter said as she turned back to her sister, "What is your opinion on him?"

Weiss opened her mouth to speak but closed it not long afterwards. She was trying to figure out how exactly to explain the past between herself and the leader of JNPR. She eventually gave up and looked down with a sigh, "It's very complicated, Winter."

"Most things are until you start explaining it." Was her instant reply.

"When I first met him… I didn't have the greatest impression of him. It took me a while to even give him a chance to prove me wrong. But then again, all of his attempts to go on a date with me really didn't help things."

"Another potential suitor that wouldn't take 'no' for an answer then?" Winter asked, her opinion of him already starting to go down.

She shrugged helplessly, "I thought so for the longest time. But I was wrong. There was this boy I liked and I wanted to go with him to the dance. He… He turned me down at first and I just decided to go on my own."

"And let me guess, that was when Jaune swooped in to make you feel better?"

Weiss just shook her head, "Actually the opposite. He went to the boy and convinced him to talk to me. To make it up to me. He had the chance to try to get to me while I was on the rebound but instead, he just tried to make me happy." She looked down slightly, "At the end of the day, he does care about me. And I've come to realize that all those attempts to date me were because he just liked me. It wasn't just for my name. And now, he's just trying to be my friend… I feel guilty about how I treated him up until now."

Winter just observed her sister, "Are you regretting not going out with him?"

That made Weiss blush instantly, "What?!" she asked in a higher pitch than one would suspect. "W-what would make you think that?"

Winter just blinked once as she just stared at her, "Well that reaction would be the first clue. But you blushing right now is also a good indicator."

Weiss just turned away to try and hide her shame. "You caught me off guard is all…" she tried to give as an excuse. There was a silence as the two continued to walk. Winter decided to not press and waited for Weiss to answer when she was ready. That time came when the blush on her cheeks went away. "I don't know if I'm being honest. He has his short coming but he's a good person and he cares very much for the people around him. Even me despite our shaky start. I don't know If I want to date him… I think I'm just curious about what it would be like."

Winter just kept watching her sister. She was never too excited about the idea of her dating but seeing her act like she was now, made her want to help her. With a sigh, she answered, "You could always ask him out yourself."

Weiss blushed again and looked away, "I don't think that is a good idea."

"Why not?" Winter asked. "It's the best way to know after all. If you go out with him and nothing comes from it, so be it. You both tried and if you explain it to him, he'd most likely understand your position. But if something does come from it, it gives you both a chance to be happy. And even if that doesn't last, you can at least take joy with the time you'll have. Life is short, especially in our lines of work, so you should take whatever happiness you can get."

Weiss just stared in shock at her sister, not expecting that advice. "But what about Pyrrha and Yang? They clearly have feelings for him. And Ruby too apparently."

"All is fair in love and war." Winter shrugged, "What you do is entirely up to you, Weiss. They are your friends and you want them to be happy, of course. But in the same instance, you could be sacrificing your chance to be happy as well. I can't tell you what you should do but you shouldn't have to sacrifice your own happiness for others." She looked out one of the many windows in the hallway, looking out at the winter scenery. "We both know how that ends."

They slowly made their way back to the viewing room and saw many of the others standing just within the doorway. "What are you all doing?" Weiss asked as she gently pushed herself into the room. What she saw was Phoenix pulling ten ping pong sized fireballs from his tome before arranging them into a ring that floated in the air at his chest level. "What is he doing?"

Raven was the one to answer, surprisingly. She was still sat in her seat with her arms crossed over her chest. "No one knows. He's been doing it since you all left. And he won't answer anyone who asks."

At that moment, the Writer brought his hand up and swiped it to the left. That cause the fireballs to spin in that ring in a clockwise motions. They started to spin so fast that they just appeared to be a ring of fire. They carried on like this for several seconds before Phoenix placed the open red tome under the ring. That was when one by one, the fireballs would shoot down and return back to the pages. That was until only one remained and slowly came to a stop, just floating above the pages.

That made Phoenix grin, "And we have a winner."

"What was that all about?" Yang asked with a cocked eyebrow.

Phoenix shrugged, "I couldn't decide on a world so I left it up to the Multiverse to decide. Now why don't you all take your seats and I'll see what we have." The viewers started to take their seats again as tendrils of flame rose form the pages and started to feed into the single fireball. It slowly started to grow until it was the normal size of the world seeing fireballs.

When it was the right size, Phoenix closed the book and let the ball float above his palms. His eyes widened before a grin came to his face, "This one, huh? This is going to be a lot of explaining but it'll definitely be a ride."

"In this world, the souls of the departed have a tendency to not move on when their time comes. So a sect of spiritual beings have been created to help them do just that." With a snap of his fingers, the screen showed an image of many faceless individuals wearing black kimonos with white undergarments underneath. Each carried a katana tied to their sashes. "They are known as Shinigami or Soul Reapers."

"What do they need those swords for?" Ruby asked. "If they are just helping people move on, why do they need weapons?"

"Because of their other role. When a human spirit does not move on, they can be corrupted and transform into these." With another snap, the image of the Soul Reapers were gone, replaced with a monstrous creature with a hole in its chest and a massive white mask taking up its entire face. "Hollows. Creatures that want nothing more than to feed on other souls. The Soul Reapers duty is to slay them and purify the souls that still reside within them."

"So both soldiers and guardians then." Ozpin stated as he looked to his fellow Headmaster. "The best of both our standings, huh, old friend." Ironwood just nodded in agreement.

"What about Jaune?" Pyrrha asked. "How does he factor into all of this?"

"He was just an average highschooler. Except he had the innate ability to see spirits and Hollows. One day he ran into an up and coming Soul Reaper and his life changed from there. That person was none other than Weiss."

"Me?" she asked.

"Yes, you." Phoenix smirked. "You two encountered each other right before a Hollow attacked his family. You got injured in the fight and had no choice but to transfer your powers to him. Creating a Substitute Soul Reaper."

"That's possible?" Blake asked. She was trying to get all of this new information in order.

Phoenix nodded. "It is. But it is also a massive taboo dictated by Soul Society, the home of all Soul Reapers. And because of that, Weiss has been retrieved and will be executed."

"Executed!?" Winter and all of Weiss' friends shouted in unison.

"That's enough for now." The Writer said as he tossed the fireball into the screen. He reclaimed his seat as it came to life.

The world opened up to show a cliffside with a massive wooden structure and a large spear-like weapon that was a size of a tower.

"What the hell is that?" Yang asked. "It's massive."

"It is the Sokyoku." Phoenix explained. "It is an immensely power relic of Soul Society that is reserved for the execution of powerful Soul Reapers."

"Weiss is that strong in this universe?" Ruby asked in awe.

"That's the odd part." Phoenix said with an unreadable expression. "She has the same level of strength as more average Soul Reapers. Maybe slightly higher."

"So why go to that extent?" Winter asked. She got no answer from their host.

The screen then shifted to show Weiss wearing white robes. Her arms were tied behind her back and she had a red collar that had her tethered to the wooden stand that was built exclusively for these exclusive executions. She sadly looked up to the massive weapon that would be her end.

The screen shifted to show several other Soul Reapers standing off to the side. The first two were Cardin with a wooden badges wrapped around his left bicep and standing next to shorter woman with a darker complexion, freckles, and her hair in a ponytail. She wore a white haori over her uniform.

"Ilia?" Blake asked in shock.

"Who?" Yang asked, looking to her partner.

"She was a good friend of mine. One of my only while I was in the White Fang. I haven't seen her in so long." She explained.

"So why is she with Cardin?" Yang asked. "I doubt those two would get along."

"The Soul Reapers are split up into thirteen different Squads, each one with a unique duty." Phoenix began to explain. "Within those Squads, there are a number of ranked officers that act as the hierarchy within that Squadron. They range from twentieth to third seat, with the lower the number meaning a higher ranking. Second seats are known as Lieutenants and are marked with that wooden badge. While first seats are Captains and are the leaders of said Squad, they wear those white haoris. They are also the most powerful Soul Reapers within Soul Society."

"So Ilia is the Captain and Cardin is her second?" Pyrrha asked and received a nod,

Nora started to giggle, "That would really annoy him. Having to take orders from a Faunus." That did get a brief laugh out of all the students.

She turned her head to look at the others, "It seems odd that so few people showed up." Ilia stated. Cardin just looked to his Captain in confusion, so she elaborated. "Captains and Lieutenant from Squad 1 and our Squad 2 are here, plus Branwen's Squad 8." She said this while looking at Qrow dressed in the uniform but with a pink kimono draped over his haori and a straw hat on his head. To his left was none other than Ruby Rose. The only person between the two squads was Coco with a badge for Squad 4 on her arm.

"I'm a Captain?" Qrow asked stunned.

"And I'm your Lieutenant!?" Ruby said excitedly. "Awesome!" That brought a smile to his lips.

"It's no surprises Squads 5, 11 and 12 are missing, given their casualties. And I think Taurus' lost it. But what about all the rest of the officers?" she questioned. "I thought that at least Goodwitch would have wanted to be here." She stopped when she saw someone else coming.

Weiss' own eyes widened in shock when she saw this person walking forward. It was the Captain of Squad 6, Winter. "My sister…" Winter didn't pay her much attention as she took her place between Coco and Qrow. That just made her look down sadly.

"What was that about?" Qrow asked as he turned towards Winter.

She shrugged, helplessly, "I… I don't know." She had always been hard on Weiss but that was just her way of trying to prepare her for the world. And she would admit that she could be… less than warm in most cases. But never outright cold like this version of herself.

"Weiss Schnee, it is time." Said the voice of a much older Ozpin with a slightly skinnier Port standing just behind and to the left of him. "Any last words before your execution?"

After a few seconds, she looked back up to the Commander. "Yes… Just one. I ask that you please allow my friends to return home safely. That is all I want."

"Friends?" Weiss asked before dread started to fill her heart.

Pyrrha sighed, "Jaune heard what was happening and gathered up the calvary to save her, didn't he?" Phoenix just nodded with a grin.

"He'd probably do the same in our world." Nora said as she tossed a handful of popcorn in her mouth. Ren just nodded along with her.

"I can't tell if that is commendable or just crazy." Ironwood added.

"It's both." Goodwitch answered, taking a bit of pride in her student while also trying to stave off a coming headache.

Light blue energy started to ripple out from all the numerous tethers keeping the Sokyoku standing. Ozpin answered, "Agreed. Your last request will be honored. After your execution, I shall allow the Ryoka to return home, unharmed."

"Ryoka?" Ozpin asked.

"It's a term Soul Society uses for people that aren't aligned with them. Don't worry about it." The Writer added dismissively with a sip of his coffee.

That made Weiss have this sad smile, "Thank you so much, Head Captain."

Coco just looked down, "How cruel. Why say that when he has no intention of sparing them?"

She blinked and was shocked to see her Captain standing beside her now. "It's actually not cruel, Coco. It's kindness." Goodwitch told her.

"What do you mean by that, Captain Goodwitch?" she questioned.

With a sad look on her face, Glynda continued to explain, "Her fate is unavoidable. But now with the Head Captain's promise, she won't need to worry about her friends. So she will at least die with some peace of mind."

"I hate that my other self has a point." Glynda said as she gave a hard look to her other self. "I don't agree with her but she does have a point."

"You can't be shocked by this." Raven said with a smirk as she looked over to the vice headmaster. "Isn't Old Man Oz full of half-truths and lies?"

Goodwitch looked irate but she was stopped by Ozpin's even, yet stern response. "I am well aware of my flaws, Raven. I will not defend them or make excuses because it would matter very little." He then turned to her with a hard look in his eyes, "But I am aware of them and making efforts to fix them. Unlike you, who still believes your logic is infallible and that you are in the right with every horrible act you commit."

Everyone in the room was shocked by that an the two people were just in a heated stare down. That was until they heard a slow clap coming from Phoenix. With a grin he spoke up, "You've just moved up to being my favorite Ozpin in the multiverse. Because that was masterfully done." That earned him a glare from Raven.

"Release the Sokyoku's seal." Ozpin commanded. That same energy erupted into the sky before each tether snapped, one by one. With them free, the ropes started to untied from the shaft of the weapon before firing off from it to impale into the area around them.

Weiss just stared up at it as she thought, 'Back at the bridge, Torchwick sent my heart into turmoil. But now, it is at peace again. Is that because of the Head Captain's promise? Or could it be because while my mind was in chaos, trying to think of a way to stay alive, my sister acted so serenely, not even turning to look my way?'

Weiss just looked at her sister, "Thank you, Sister. Thank you."

"Not entirely sure that she should thank her for that…" Yang muttered to herself, getting an elbow from Blake a second later. "What? You know I'm right." That earned her another elbow.

With that, three squares started to glow at her feet before three cubes floated up from the ground. At that moment, the ropes that tied her hands came undone. Her arms then snapped to her sides so her hands were about even with the two cubes that floated up to be at shoulder level with her. The third stayed down at her connected ankles before all three started to levitate higher into the air with her follow. She didn't stop until she was at the very top of the stand, hundreds of feet into the air.

Ruby looked up in apprehension. "Come on, Ruby." Qrow said calmingly, gaining her attention. Giving her an easy smile he continued, "Don't you go getting all emotional on me now, or else you know I'm likely to come apart too."

She looked away and to the ground, "Yes, sir. But you needn't worry. It's not sadness I'm feeling." she half-lied.

"I can't believe I'm just standing there." Ruby said in annoyance. "I should be helping her."

"That wouldn't be a good idea…" Tai said just loud enough to be heard. "Yes, she is your friend, Ruby, but she also broke an apparently serious law. This might be a difficult situation to be in but you can't just pick and choose which laws we follow." He looked down, "Even if it is for someone you care for."

"Plus even if you did try to help, if would mean that you would face the same sentence if you failed." Qrow added, "And I doubt she would want more people to die for her."

Ruby and Weiss both looked down at that, conceding to what the two adults said.

At that moment, fire erupted from the bottom of the Sokyoku before engulfing the entire thing in the roaring flames.

"What the hell is that?!" Cardin said in shock as he took a step back. "Is that the release of the Sokyoku?"

"Release?" Blake asked as she looked to Phoenix. He just placed a finger to his lips before pointing back to the screen.

It started to fly up into the air. It then started to shift until the blade was pointed directly at her. Her eyes widened in awe and shock as the flames started to shift it into its true form, "The spear... It's changing shape…" Ilia said in awe.

"What an amazing sight…" Qrow added as well.

A massive bird of fire, a phoenix, stood where the spear once was.

"My word…" Ozpin said in awe as he looked on.

"How is that possible?" Winter asked, baffled by this sight.

"That is what is used to execute powerful Soul Reapers!?" Yang asked in shock. Staring at the new image. "Isn't that overkill?"

"Not at all." Phoenix told her. "That just shows how powerful a Soul Reaper can be. Or better yet, how strong a Captain can be."

That made the scale of power finally sink in for all the viewers. And it brought a sense of fear for how powerful these versions of Ozpin, Ilia, Goodwitch, Qrow and Winter were. Even Raven couldn't deny the tremor that went up her spin from that thought.

"Kiko-oh!" Ozpin shouted. "The spearhead of the Sokyoku has taken on its true form in order to render the ultimate punishment! When the prisoner's body has been pierced her sentence will have been carried out!"

Weiss just kept staring at it. 'I am not afraid. I've lived a good life. I was blessed. I met Pyrrha and the others. I was taken in by my Sister… Guided by Neptune. And… I was saved by Jaune.' She closed her eyes to accept her fate. 'This is not suffering. This is not pain. I have no regrets." She opened her eyes to look at the phoenix once again. 'My heart leaves nothing behind.'

'Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.' She repeated this over and over in her head as she thought about all the people who had tried to help her: her Squad, her human friends, her Sister and finally, Jaune. The screen showed Jaune dressed as a Soul Reaper with a massive sword strapped to his back, facing away from her as the last thought she had.

"Looks like this Jaune made quite the impact on his Weiss, don't you think?" Yang said cheekily as she looked at her teammate. It was a weak attempt at humor but she was trying to do something to alleviate the tension.

"Now's not the time, Yang." She huffed and turned away, trying her best to stop the blush that was trying to make its way to her cheeks.

"That's a pretty large sword…" Qrow said while looking over the massive katana. "Think he's compensating?" He asked as he looked to Tai.

He just rolled his eyes, "Qrow…"

Winter turned to him, "Talking from experience?" she asked coyly. She knew about his own choice in weaponry and couldn't pass up the chance to get a dig into the Huntsman.

He wheeled around to her as he heard Raven chuckle behind them all. "I use a scythe, Ice Queen. I need to have a larger blade to properly balance the weapon. Which translated to the sword being much larger. Not everyone wants to use a pair of toothpicks."

"He is right about the compensating thing though." Phoenix spoke up to stop the ensuing argument.

Everyone turned to him, "Excuse me?" Winter asked in a scandalized tone.

He nodded, "In this world, the size of the sword is equivalent to how much power, or Spiritual Pressure, they have. Most Captains would have blades the size of skyscrapers but they train to control their massive power so they can have a proper blade." He motioned to the screen, "Jaune's control has always been on the weaker side so he always has an oversized blade. But it shows just how powerful he was when he was technically at his weakest."

"Huh." Was all Qrow could say to that. He didn't think there would be any sort of merit behind his joke.

That last thought made her eyes widened before tears started to fall from her eyes. "Farewell." She closed her eyes as the phoenix flew towards her.

All the students were turning away, not wanting to see what was about to happen. Meanwhile, Winter was on the verge of a panic attack, not wanting to see her sister be killed in such a manner.

She felt the flames getting stronger but she didn't feel it pierce her. She opened her eyes in confusion and what she saw shocked her. Holding back the phoenix with the slightly different sword on his back. Bandages wrapped around his right forearm, chest, and left arm completely. And a grey cloak over his shoulders flying in the wind. Staring at her with a smile on his lips and a bandage across his right cheek was none other than Jaune. "Hey." He said simply.

"Jaune!" Ruby said excitedly.

"He made it just in time." Pyrrha said with a smile.

Yang chuckled, "He either has the most perfect timing or he was waiting to jump in."

Meanwhile the Schnee sisters were having two different reactions. Winter finally let herself relax into her seat with a sigh of relief while Weiss was staring wide eyed in shock. She was still trying to hide her blush but that was getting increasingly hard since this was now the second world she had seen where Jaune heroically tries to save her.

"J-Jaune?!" she asked in shock. That's when anger took ahold of her. "You dolt! I said don't come back!"

"Huh?!" he asked in shock, not expecting that.

"What's it going to take for you to finally realize?! You can't defeat my sister! She'll kill you for sure this time! I'm not asking you or anybody to rescue me! I'm resigned to my fate! Go away!"

"Wow, way to show your appreciation , Weiss." Nora said as she shook her head.

She shrugged helplessly, "With the way my other self is acting, I think she is just concerned for them. She knows she's going to die… And she doesn't want anyone to die as well trying to save her…"

As this was going on, Ilia found her voice, "This can't be! He stopped the Spear… But the Sokyoku has the power of a million zanpakuto. He couldn't have taken it on with a single zanpakuto, could he? Just who is this guy?"

That entire time, Jaune just looked at her neutrally as he kept holding back the phoenix. That was until it pulled back, pushing him forward slightly. He turned around as Weiss shouted his name. "Backing out to prepare for a second attack, huh?" He said out loud. "Go ahead, bring it on."

"You'll never be able to stop it a second time! Enough already, Jaune, you have to quit!" Weiss begged him. "Jaune, please! You'll be torn to pieces!"

Jaune just ignored her as he pulled his sword from his back and prepared to fight. "Jaune!" she shouted one last time before he shot off to meet the phoenix.

"I take it back." Ironwood stated as he watched wide eyed as the young man charged the massive bird of fire. "He is crazy to charge that beast."

Before the two could collide a long tether wrapped around its neck before the weight fell to the ground. Jaune looked on in shock before he looked down to see that it was Weiss' Captain that intervene. Coco shouting, "Captain Oobleck!"

"Professor Oobleck is a Captain too!" Ruby said in shock.

"Seems that way." Pyrrha nodded. "But what is he doing? I thought the Captain would be trying to stop Jaune."

"It looks like there are some division among the ranks." Winter pointed out. "Not that I'm bothered by that. If it means Weiss is safe, so be it."

When Qrow heard that, he pulled out his flask and shook it slightly, 'Nope, haven't drank the last. So I'm borderline sober and the Ice Queen just said that out loud.'

Next thing, Qrow had appeared and placed his hand on the other weighted side, "Hey there, Mister Coffee Addict. I was starting to wonder if you planned to show up." He grinned as Ruby appeared behind him.

"Captain Branwen?" Coco shouted in shock, also gaining the attention of the Captain Commander.

Ruby's eyes widened and began to sparkly, "Wait… Does this mean?"

Yang smirked at her little sister, "Looks that way."

"Sorry. It took a while to break the seal." Oobleck explained. "But this ought to do it!" he shouted as he slammed a massive wooden shield into the ground. The two worked together by stabbing their own respective blades into the shield. The energy the weapon released traveled up the tethers before causing the phoenix to explode, raining flames upon everyone.

"Yes!" Ruby cheered before she hugged her partner. "Uncle Qrow and Oobleck saved Weiss!"

Weiss was trying to push her leader off her while squeaking out, "Ruby, can't breathe."

"Hugs first, air later." She said defiantly.

"I'm not sure what's going on…" Jaune stated as he saw everything that was going on below. "But I can use the diversion!" He back flipped onto the structure and while in a crouched position, his eyes started to glow a light blue with energy.

"Jaune, what are you doing!?" Weiss yelled.

He stood up, "Isn't it obvious?" Was all he said as he started to swing his blade around by the cloth that dangled from the hilt. He kept spinning it until it was like a propeller. "This stand... Is about to come tumbling down."

"That's crazy!" Weiss shouted. "Jaune, you can't! You'll only end up killing us both! The stand of the Sokyoku is too strong!"

"The stand is that strong?" Nora questioned. "Why?"

Ren thought about it, "If I had to guess, it has to be in order to resist the power of that spear. Otherwise they'd have to keep rebuilding it."

"Huh. Guess that does makes sense." Nora agreed before sipping her soda.

"Don't worry about it." Jaune interrupted her before taking his sword back in hand. "Just shut up and watch."

"Jaune…" she said in shocked.

With a yell he stabbed his sword into the stand and the entire structure started to glow that same blue. After a few seconds there was an explosion and the dust started to obscure the cliffside.

From the smoke they heard him speak, "'I don't want you to rescue me' you said. 'Go home,' you said. You know, sometimes you talk too much, Weiss." It then showed Weiss looking down. "Good thing I don't listen to you. Now this is the second time I've had to tell you this…" The screen showed Jaune standing on the remains of the stand, a large chunk of the middle now completely destroyed. His sword resting on his right shoulder as he held Weiss around the stomach with his left. "I've come here to rescue you. Got it?"

Yang grinned, "This Jaune has more confidence than our own. Gotta say, it's kinda sexy."

"Yang!" Ruby shouted in embarrassment.

"What?" she asked with a smirk, "You disagree?"

She looked down slightly, "Not exactly…" she said sheepishly as she poked her index fingers together. That entire interaction had Tai resting his face in this hand while groaning in defeat. Qrow tried to back him on the back to reassure him but was also debating on keeping an eye on the Kid when they got back. Just as a precaution.

"I do agree." Pyrrha added. "I wouldn't mind our Jaune being more confident. Just as long as it doesn't turn to cockiness or arrogance."

"Good point." Yang agreed.

Those words made her eyes begin to water. She quickly closed them, "What a dolt… I'm not going to say 'thank you'… I won't." The tears started to fall regardless.

He grinned at that. "I didn't expect you to." He said simply.

All the Soul Reapers below were just staring up at him. Not able to comprehend what he just did. But all Jaune was looking at was Winter, who was just staring back at him. "J-jaune…" Weiss' voice pulled his attention. "Jaune… Let me ask you something. What're we supposed to do now? How can we possibly disappear with so many eyes watching us?"

"We'll make a run for it." He said simply.

That was what made Weiss facepalm, "That's his plan?"

"Not the best plan, if I'm being honest." Blake added.

"Guess all the Jaunes out there can't be great at planning." Pyrrha spoke up after hearing the lack of plan this version had.

Weiss looked up at him, "What? How stupid! We'd never get away, those are Captains!"

Jaune was just looking to the side in annoyance, "Yeah? Then we'll just kick their asses first. We're not alone, you know? Flynt and Yatsu. Nora, Russel, and Oscar, they're all here too." He then had this confident grin on his face, "I'm gonna save every person who helped us and we're all gonna get away."

Weiss just stared up at him, 'From the look in his eyes… From his words…' She smiled, 'I can feel Jaune's strength flowing into me. You've become strong… very strong. Haven't you, Jaune?'

Nora tilted her head slightly, "Does this Weiss have a crush on him?"

That made Weiss' eyes widen as she turned from Nora to Phoenix.

The Writer in question was rubbing his chin slightly, "That is a tough question. It's been a point of debate between many people who have seen this world. I honestly believe she could have feelings for him or it could just easily be respect and a deep sense of friendship. It could be either or. Emotions become more… complicated the more of the multiverse you see. Sometimes they are clearer than anything else and others they are just so damn ambiguous."

That made him chuckle, "Multiversal constant, I guess."

He heard a disturbance below and looked to see what it was, "It's about time, Pyrrha."

Weiss' eyes widened as she saw a still recovering Pyrrha with sword in hand. She fell to one knee as her wounds ached. "Pyrrha!" Weiss shouted in worry.

She just looked up to them, "Weiss!"

"I take it we have a close relationship?" Pyrrha asked when she saw this.

"Yup. You two were childhood friends and went to the academy that trains Soul Reapers together."

That made both of them smile. Neither had too many friends growing up considering their backgrounds so they were glad that these versions had each other. It also made them think of how things would've been different if Weiss wasn't so overzealous to have Pyrrha as her partner at the beginning of the year.

"Oh, Pyrrha, it's you! I'm so glad you're still alive!" she cried happily at her oldest friend being okay.

"I figured you'd show up." Jaune grinned.

"What choice did I have? I couldn't just rely on you to save Weiss, could I?" she answered.

"What about Jaune and Pyrrha? What's their relationship?" Yang asked.

"At this point, they are more rivals than anything else." Phoenix answered.

That made Jaune chuckle. "Alright, here you go." He said as he raised Weiss above his head by her sash. That earned him a confused look from them both. "Ready?"

"Wait, Jaune… You don't really think you're going to…!" Weiss questioned as he pulled his arm back.

Pyrrha had this look of disbelief on her face, "Hey, hold on now! You wouldn't dare…!"

"Look out below!" he shouted as he threw Weiss like a football.

"He threw me/her!?" Weiss and Winter shouted in unison.

That made all the other students and Qrow just lose it with laughter. None of them had expected that and the sisters reaction made it even better. Even the adults were trying to stifle their own laughter, not wanting to make the two more annoyed than they already were.

She was screaming as she flew with Pyrrha shouting, "You're insane!" Luckily, she caught her and the two smashed into the ground.

Weiss sat herself up first, "Damn you, Jaune!" she yelled angrily with tears in her eyes.

Pyrrha sat up next, just as angry, "You idiot! What if I didn't catch her?!"

"She makes a great point." Winter said heatedly. "He better hope I never run into him or we're going to have a long conversation."

"Take her and go!" Jaune answered. "Don't just stand there. Get her to safety! Take her far away from here!" He then balanced his sword on his shoulder again, "That's your duty! Protect her with your life!"

Pyrrha just stared up at him before she turned and ran as quickly as she could with Weiss in her arms. As they ran, Jaune just stared down defiantly at Winter. All but calling her out.

"Looks like you two will be having that conversation soon." Qrow said as he saw how the two were looking at each other. "Looks like there is some history between you two."

"But why?" Tai asked. "If he's going to this extent to try and save her sister, why would they have any sort on friction?"

"Not all families are close, Tai." Raven answered from the back. Sadly, a good portion of the audience had to agree with her, for once.

"P-Pyrrha…" Cardin said in shock.

"Don't just stand there watching, you fool!" Ilia shouted. "Go! All Lieutenants, after them!"

Ozpin just turned to Port, "Yes, sir!" Port answered before running.

Coco turned to Goodwitch, "Go ahead." She said simply.

"Oh, that isn't good." Blake said, starting to get worried for her teammate's alternate. "They are just below the Captains, which means they must be pretty strong. And those two are in no shape to fight."

"Don't worry, they have Jaune!" Nora said with her megawatt grin. "He'll have their back."

"The question is: Is he strong enough to protect them." Ironwood asked.

"Only one way to find out, James." Qrow told him.

Cardin, Port and Coco were chasing after Pyrrha, swords drawn. That was until Jaune appeared in front of them in a flash. He stared them down until he flipped his sword to stab it into the ground. That just infuriated Cardin, "Get out of the way!"

"Now run! Itegumo!" Coco shouted, he blade began to glow and two smaller blades protrude from the hilt at 45 degree angles.

"Bite! Gonryomaru!" Port followed and his katana shifted into a more rapier-like sword and handguard.

"Crush him! Gegetsuburi!" Cardin shouted as his sword took the shape of a massive, spiked flail.

"Their swords can transform!?" Ruby shouted in excitement.

Phoenix nodded, "Yes they can. The swords they wield are known as zanpakuto, which you've heard them call them a couple of times now. To not get overly complicated, each one has a spirit within them. The Soul Reapers learn on how to communicate with them and when they do that, they learn the sword's name. When they say their release command and that name, the sword transforms and they gain access to that's sword unique ability. It's required for most Soul Reapers to do this to gain a seated rank."

"Wait, is that why Jaune's sword looks different from how Weiss remembered it?' Ruby asked the obvious follow up question.

"Yup." He nodded. "He learned how to use his sword's power to prepare for his journey into Soul Society. The term for the transformation is called Shikai."

Jaune just shot forward and punched through the flail's ball and into Cardin's stomach, much to the shock of the other two Lieutenants. Port went for a stab but the Substitute Soul Reaper just spun to deflect it with his right hand as his right went for a palm strike to the older man's jaw.

Coco just stared, 'It's impossible… He's not even using his zanpakuto!' He then appeared next to her to palm strike her stomach. All three landed on the ground and were unconscious.

"He took them all out in seconds! And they were the rank just below the Captains." Pyrrha said in awe as she stared.

Yang grinned, "I think we got the answer if he is strong enough to take them on."

"Keep kicking their butts, Jaune!" Nora cheered.

Jaune heard the sounds of someone running so he spun and grabbed his sword in one motion. Bringing it up just in time to stop the sword swing of Winter. He grinned at her as he held her sword back, "I can see your moves, Winter Schnee!"

"But now he has to fight my sister…" Weiss said nervously. "I don't know how well this will go."

"Relax, Weiss." Ruby said with that optimistic smile. "He just took out three Lieutenants. How much harder is one Captain going to be?"

No one saw it but Phoenix gave her the most deadpanned expression he could in that moment.

"Tell me why. Why don't you just give up? You keep trying to save Weiss again and again." she asked simply.

"You're her sister, aren't you?" Jaune started as he glared at her, "So the question that needs to be asked is why the hell aren't you trying to save her?"

"That's what I want to know." Winter added with Weiss nodding along.

She just closed her eyes, "Such a foolish question. Even if I did have the time to try to explain the principle to you, someone like you would never understand it." Jaune pushed up on her own sword in resistance. She opened her eyes again to stare at him coldly, "It seems talking serves no purpose."

"Prepare to die." She said simply as she gripped her sword tighter, her own reiryoku traveling up the blade before it illuminate the area around them in a light blue. The sheer pressure of it made Jaune start to shake and force his sword down.

"Her energy alone has that much force behind it?" Tai asked in shock.

"It's called 'Spiritual Pressure,' it clearly isn't for show." Raven said but like any other time she directed a question or comment to her ex-husband, he didn't even acknowledge her. Her eyes narrowed at that, her annoyance growing at being ignored. And the increasing pain in her chest.

He just grinned and shouted. They both swung again and when they locked blades, a massive dust cloud was kicked up. The force also allowed Jaune to push himself back a dozen or so feet to separate them. Winter making no move to close the distance.

"There is only one path before me." She told him. "I shall kill you, Jaune Arc. And then, once again, I will capture Weiss. And this time I shall execute her myself."

Those words caused a suffocating silence to fill the room. All the viewers turning to look at Weiss or Winter. Both with the most shellshocked expressions on their faces. "W-what...?" Weiss managed to get out just barely over a whisper.

"That…" Winter started. "That can't be… I would never do that. Never!" She managed to stutter out, looking to be on the verge of a breakdown.

"I won't let you do that." He told her as he reached up to the grey cloak he was wearing. He just raised his arm above his head and let it get carried away with the wind. "That's the reason why I'm here." He said confidently.

That was when they started moving towards each other. Each vanishing for a second before reemerging as they got closer to each other.

"What is happening?" James asked as he kept watching.

"They may be moving fast enough that even the screen is losing track of them temporarily." Ozpin surmised. He then looked to Phoenix, "Is that the case?"

The Writer just nodded, "Most Soul Reapers have at least the basics of it but these two are using it at a much higher mastery. To make it simple, you can just call it Flash Step."

It then cut away to Pyrrha still running away with Weiss in her arms. "Pyrrha, stop! Put me down! I've got to go back there and help Jaune." she begged.

Pyrrha just looked down at her angrily, "What part of our running like hell for our lives do you not understand?! Just try to keep that big mouth of yours shut, all right!? We don't want anybody hearing our voices!"

Nora just blinked in shock, "I don't think I've ever heard you scream before." Ren couldn't help but nod along with what his partner said.

Pyrrha blushed in embarrassment, "I try to keep levelheaded. It takes a lot to get me to that point."

"Guess this version of you doesn't have the same sentiment." Yang told her teasingly. Most of the temper jokes came her way so it was a nice change of pace to poke fun at someone else for it.

Weiss just looked back up at her mildly annoyed, "If one of our voices gets us caught, it won't be mine."

Yang chuckled, "Also a fair point." That made Pyrrha blush just a touch more.

They were quiet for a bit before Pyrrha spoke again, "Explain something to me."

"What?"

"Well, one time Jaune told me that he owed you a favor."

"He owes a favor to me?" she asked confused.

That earned a similar confused look from the in theater Weiss as well.

"Uh huh." Pyrrha then started to remember a conversation they had while both were training to save Weiss. They were standing side by side, drinking water, as they were taking a much needed break from the intense training they were going through.

That was when Jaune started to speak to her. "You know, Weiss actually saved my life in a way. She changed my destiny. That much is true. If I hadn't met Weiss, I never would have become a Soul Reaper, the ability that I have to fight the way I do and to be able to protect everyone. I owe her."

That brought a smile to her face, "At least we know why he's going so far to save me now."

That made Weiss' eyes widened as she remembered a conversation she had with Oscar while being locked up, "Because of me, Jaune's fate has been changed… I've put him in terrible danger. And nothing I do can ever make amends for that."

"Why are you blaming yourself for everything? It's pointless. You've always been like that." Pyrrha told her. "No one else thinks this is all your fault. So why don't you quit being so hard on yourself? No one person could be strong enough to carry all of that responsibility on their shoulders. Certainly not you, Weiss. Share it. Share that burden with Jaune and with me. Let us lighten your load until you get your strength back. That is the whole reason we both made ourselves stronger." She smiled down at her, "Just have a little faith in him, Weiss."

That struck a chord with Blake. The part she had played in the White Fang's agenda and illegal activities still weighed on her. Some days, it felt like she would suffocate underneath it all. And despite her not wanting them to, her team was there to support her or give her a talking to when she really needed it. It made her think that maybe she should trust more people outside of her team with this. Maybe they could have a greater effect on stopping them. And less risk to everyone involved.

In response, she grabbed a fist full of the redhaired woman's robes, "I'm sorry, Pyrrha."

"Don't be foolish. You don't have anything to apologize for."

"Thank you."

That made her smile, "Silly girl. There's no need to say thank you, either."

"Thank you for getting through to me, Pyrrha." Weiss told her genuinely.

That made the redhaired woman smile, "That's what friends are for, Weiss."

Back to the fight, with only a few attacks the area surrounding the fighters had already been drastically changed. Large gouges and ever large chunks of rock were forced from the ground now. The two separated after a quick trading of blows. Winter just observed him passively. "I see you have mastered your Flash Step but don't think it will change anything. It won't."

Jaune interrupted her, "What's all this casual analysis of my power?" He rested his sword on his shoulder as he spoke. "You said talk was useless, but now here you are taking it easy on me. I thought you were going to kill me?" A grin came to his face, "Didn't you say you intended to cut me down?"

"Is he trying to egg her on?" Ruby questioned.

"Seems like it." Pyrrha answered. "But I can't think of a reason he would do that."

"You haven't even put a scratch on me yet, Winter. Does your silence mean that this is all you've got?" The joking façade fell away with that. "I don't believe it. Show your Bankai, Winter."

"Bankai?" Winter asked in confusion. "What is that?"

She got no answer in return. Phoenix believed this was a situation best for show, don't tell.

Winter still just looked unamused by this, "Come one! I heard what you said. You told me you were going to kill me first and then execute Weiss with your own hands."

"So I did." She said in a matter of fact tone.

"I will not allow that!" he shouted angrily. "I'm going to defeat you, Winter! I'm willing to risk everything and I'm going to crush you until there's nothing left! You act like there's some reason it has to be this way. You said I wouldn't understand. Well, you got that right. I can't even imagine what kind of monster would actually threaten to murder her own sister." Winter's eyes narrowed just slightly more, "But I promise you, you'll never say such a thing in front of Weiss again!"

As that was going on, Yang wrapped her arm around Ruby's shoulder and pulled just a bit closer to her side. Ruby subconsciously leant into her older sister's side, trying to get a bit more reassurance while watching this play out.

Seeing that from the corner of her eye, Weiss couldn't help but look over her own shoulder to her own sister. Winter caught her eyes and quickly looked to her. They stared for a while and the elder could see the question in her younger sister's eyes. Winter just leant forward and placed her hand on her sister's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. She gave her a look that promised that whatever was happening on the screen would never happen between them. That was all Weiss needed to smile back at her.

Qrow saw both those interaction and just smiled to himself, happy to see that his nieces were still as close as ever. And that Winter was on good terms with her own sister, not that he'd ever admit that to her. That's when he felt like someone was staring at him and turned to see that it was none other than Raven. The two just held the other's gaze, neither pair of red eyes blinking.

But it was Qrow who turned away first. He had been down this road before. As much as he wanted his sister back in his life again, he knew she never would choose that. He wouldn't get his hopes up again.

Raven took that in stride and turned to take a sip from her teacup, unaffected. Except for the slight tremor going through her hand.

Jaune then pointed his sword directly at her, "Release your Bankai now, or I'll kill you where you stand, Winter!"

"What an empty threat." Winter told him. "All your boasting and bragging will not change my mind, and it will not change Weiss' fate, nor your own."

She readjusted her arm as she spoke, "You want my Bankai? Careful what you ask for, fool." She moved her sword so it was completely vertical in front of her own face. "You will die, but it's a thousand years too soon for you to die to my Bankai."

"Scatter…" she said as the entire blade started to glow before seemingly turning into cherry blossoms as it moved further down the blade. The petals started to rotate in the air, like making a tunnel between herself and Jaune. "Senbonzakura."

"That's her sword's transformation?" Ruby asked. "What are flower petals going to do?"

"I agree with you, sis. With the way she was acting, I thought she would have a more powerful ability." Yang added.

"Those aren't flower petals." Phoenix told them. "When she releases her sword, the blade breaks down into thousands of tiny blade fragments. Each one as sharp as a razor and under her control. In reality, her opponents will be torn apart by a storm of blades. The light reflecting off the blades just look like petals."

There was another oppressive silence as everyone just had shocked looks on their faces from the reveal of that Winter's power. "That's…" Blake started before she swallowed. "That's terrifying."

"No wonder she seems so confident." Pyrrha added. "That is overwhelming."

"That's only the start of it." Phoenix added as he sat back into his seat.

"What does that mean?' Nora asked, now nervous for her leader. She got no response.

Jaune just raised his arm before swinging down, releasing a wave of energy through the blades, and going left of Winter, her eye widening in shock from it. When the light faded, there was a deep trench in the ground where it just was. As well as Winter's left sleeve being cut off and blood trailing down her arm. "What was that light that I saw? Is this the true power of your zanpakuto, Jaune Arc?"

"What was that!?" Ruby and Nora shouted.

Phoenix just motioned to the screen.

"That's right." He answered casually as he rested his sword once again on his shoulder. "When I swing my sword, all my Spiritual Pressure is absorbed by my zanpakuto. Then it gets released again in a super high dense beam that gives it an incredibly amplified swing. That's Zangetsu's power."

"That's his power?" Yang asked. "No wonder he was confident."

"Especially with his high levels of power." Ironwood said as he sat forward, cupping his chin in thought. "That would make each swing incredibly powerful. And he would probably be able to release multiple beams before growing tired. Such a simple power like that in his hands would be devastating."

"You sound impressed, James." Qrow told him as he turned around. "And that's saying a lot since you like to keep yourself reeled in most times."

"More like I'm seeing why he would think he could take on someone of Winter's caliber." He then sat back and crossed his arms. "But he'll still have to be careful. One move won't win him this fight. He'll need skill and strategy as well."

"You know the funny thing is I never actually aimed it at anything before. Until just now, I wasn't even sure how to fire it." Winter just kept staring at her. "Raven Branwen told me, 'I can only teach you the stances.' I finally know what she meant."

"I taught him?" Raven asked, confused.

"Yup. In this world, you are an ex-Captain that… was exiled from the Soul Society." The Writer answered.

"That sounds familiar…" Qrow muttered.

"Different situations though. She was framed for doing some terrible experiments. Instead of fighting, she worried more about taking the people who were experimented on and trying to fix what happened to them. To help them." He shook his head, "Regardless, you are still a power fighter and a genius. But you still use your abilities to try to better the world around you and even Soul Society to some extents. You can know do more now in some ways since you are no longer confined by their regulations."

Raven just stared at Phoenix, not believing what she had just heard. 'Multiple separate factions working towards a common goal, huh?' She then shook her head, 'Don't even start with that. That is behind you.'

"She was telling me that there was only one who could really teach me how to use Zangetsu and that was Zangetsu themself." Remembering the training he went through under the guidance of his zanpakuto's spirit, he said the name of the technique out loud. "Getsugatensho."

"I'll say it once more, Winter Schnee!" he stabbed the tip of his sword into the ground. "Attack with your Bankai now! I'm going to destroy you completely this time!"

Winter was still just analyzing him, "All right then. Since you're not willing to take 'no' for an answer, then feast your eyes." She raised her sword above her head but the blade was pointed down to the ground. "Behold my Bankai." She then let go of the handle.

'She let go of her sword?" Jaune thought to himself.

"What are you doing?" Weiss asked out loud.

"I have no idea." Winter answered.

"Don't worry. This will be over swiftly." She told him. As the tip of the blade hit the ground, ripples of energy started to emerge from it as more and more of the blade sank into the ground. "You'll turn to dust before another thought passes through your head." Once the last of the sword was gone, the entire area around them turned dark.

Jaune just looked on, intimidated by this display. As he did, two rows of a thousand giant blades raised up from the ground stretching out behind Winter. She just kept staring at her opponent, "Bankai. Senbonzakura Kageyoshi." With that, all the massive blades began to glow before all of them scattered like her Shikai.

"What is that?" Blake asked, afraid.

"Bankai." Phoenix answered with a grim tone. "It is the final form a zanpakuto can take. And with it, the peak of a Soul Reaper's power. It takes years of training and experience to achieve. Unlike Shikai, the Soul Reaper must battle their zanpakuto's spirit and win, making it submit to them. Only then will they get their Bankai's name. It is a requirement, in most cases, for a Soul Reaper to take on the rank of Captain."

"Jaune…" Weiss said in worry, thinking what he had to face.

Jaune just stared on as reality set in before he finally snapped out of it. He pulled his sword free form the ground before running to the side as multiple, almost tendril-like waves or trails, of blades hit the spot he was just at.

He ran towards Winter but as he was closing the distance, four smaller trails of blades pooled in front of her before launching towards him in a single mass. He quickly jumped into the air so it just slammed into the ground. She just tracked him with her eyes as he got higher into the air. He shouted and released another Getsugatensho. "Pathetic." Was all she said as a wave of blades erupted in front of her, stopping the attack without issue.

When the attack dissipated, the impromptu shield shot at him in another trail of blades. Jaune held his sword diagonally across his body to protect himself but the trails split into two and moved past him at the moment they would've impacted. He looked behind himself in shock as the trails reconverged and behind him to attack from his blind spot. He spun and was able to hold them back with his sword before using another Getsugatensho to disperse the blades.

"This isn't good!" Pyrrha said in worry. "Winter's power is too quick and versatile. It's taking everything he has to just defend himself."

"Not to mention his technique had no effect when he launched it at her." Ren spoke up as he analyzed the fight. "Only thing I can think of is he'll have to get in close."

"That'll just put him in even worse danger." Ruby added nervously, with a hint of panic as well. "He'd have to get past all the blade and who knows how quickly she would bd able to summon them back to her. That might just get him killed."

"He has to think of something. And fast." Blake added.

The blades started to congregate behind him immediately afterwards but he quickly knocked them away with another empowered swing. But that was when he noticed that three massive trails were converging on him from all sides and concentrating above him. 'I won't make it!' he thought to himself. That was when the massive congregation of blades slammed him down into the ground, destroying the rock and earth below.

"Jaune!" all the students shouted in worry.

"Could he survive that attack?" Goodwitch asked, a cold feeling settling into her stomach.

"I'm not sure, Glynda." Ozpin said, just watching on in shock. He really didn't want to see the young man be killed, especially in a manner like that.

As the blades started to dissipate and some were floating in the air around her, Winter just kept looking down at where Jaune had just been attacked, "Think of Senbonzakura like this. A relentless barrage from every direction by billions of blades attacking simultaneously. The abilities of your zanpakuto are more than I imagined. However…"

The dust was blown away to show a bleeding Jaune on the ground, gasping for air. "Your attacks are far too broad and clumsy. You could never evade the nimble assault of Senbonzakura."

"He's alive!" Ruby cheered happily. She was afraid he would've just been shreds after that last attack.

"He's in bad shape…" Weiss said as she saw his condition. "He needs to get out of there."

"If he does that, Winter will go after our other selves." Pyrrha pointed out.

"Or she'll just kill my other self and you two will be-" Weiss didn't get any further with that thought because Yang grabbed her by the front of her shirt and pull her out of her seat. Weiss just stood there, staring in shock at the very angry red eyes that stared back at her. "Yang?"

"Enough of that!" she shouted. "I don't care what your hang ups are, in this or any other world, you are not going to sacrifice yourself! That Pyrrha and Jaune wouldn't want that. And guess what? None of us would either. So you're going to stop with that thought and put your faith in Jaune, or I'll kick your ass for him." With that, her eyes shifted back to lilac and she had a tiny grin. "Got it?"

Weiss just kept staring before she looked down with a small smile. She reached one hand up to gently hold the one Yang had grabbed the front of her shirt with. "Got it." They then returned to their seats right after that.

"Damn." Was all he said as he started to get his breathing back under control. "I thought I could do better than that. I should have known I couldn't do it. Just had to try though." His grip on his sword tightened as he started to shakily stand. "Guess it's foolish to think I could ever beat a Bankai while only using my Shikai."

That made Winter narrow her eyes, "That arrogant mouth of yours is going to be the death of you. You talk as if you've already achieved Bankai level."

"Yeah." That earned a very shocked look from her. Jaune looked at her with that confident grin again and showing a good deal of blood pouring from his head down across one of his eyes and cheek., "You catch on pretty quickly, Winter Schnee!"

"He has it too?" Winter asked in shock. "I thought you said it took years to achieve?" She asked their host.

"It does. Normally." Phoenix smirked. "A good friend of Raven's helped him out with a method to unlock it faster. It nearly killed him but he achieved it in a fraction of the time. He wasn't about to fight your other self without being on her level."

That started to fill the audience with help for the blonde on the screen to make it out of this alive.

"What did you say?" she asked, unbelieving.

"Don't make me repeat myself." More blood fell to the ground as he kept trying to stand. "I think you heard me. You just don't want to believe it. Do you? Then again, I don't care whether you believe or not. I'm not going to say it again. You'll believe once you see it yourself, Winter Schnee!"

With that, Jaune got into a sword stance and shouted, his body being covered in his light blue energy as he did. It then erupted out of the ground around him and into the air like a geyser of light.

"He's releasing that much power to just use its final form?" Tai said in shock. "Just what is he about to release?"

"Only one way to find out." Qrow answered. "But I have a feeling it's going to tip the scales in the Kid's favor."

Winter just watched on, 'A Bankai? That's impossible. It's the final stage of the zanpakuto. Only Soul Reapers of the highest level are able to attain it. Out of the Four Great Noble Clans, who are blessed with far greater Spiritual Pressure than others, only one child in several generations has the ability to reach that level. And those who have attained it had their names forever etched into the history of the Soul Society. That is Bankai.'

'So why him? He became a Soul Reaper by absorbing Weiss' power. He's not a noble. He wasn't even born a Soul Reaper. So how can he reach Bankai so easily, as if it's second nature? And how can he release such Spiritual Pressure? This is as if he's…'

Jaune just looked at her as he thought of how he effortlessly loss to Winter when she came for Weiss and just how useless he was when she needed help. How worthless he truly was and how much of a failure that defeat was. And he was not going to fail her again. Never again.

'Jaune…" Weiss thought to herself. 'You're one of the best people I have seen in most of these worlds… Why was I a fool to not see just how genuine you were all those months ago? When I do get back, I'm going to make it right. And maybe... Possibly... We can try?' That blush made her blush at that thought. Luckily for her, everyone who would've teased her for her flushed face were too busy watching the screen.

And with that thought, the energy around him disappeared, setting Winter on edge. He pulled his arm forward so the tip of his sword was pointed right at her. He placed his other hand on his forearm as air started to blast behind him, shredding his robes more, and the cloth at the end of the sword wrapped around his arm up to the shoulder. "Ban... Kai!" he shouted.

With that command, his eyes began to glow blue before that same energy surged across his body. His sword started to glow that same color before it erupted forward, ripping up the ground just to the right of Winter and into the distance for all to see. There was so much dirt and dust that was kicked up that it blocked the view of the cliffside. That was until it all got sucked into this massive cyclone that surged up into the sky. The wind being so strong it was pulling up massive pieces of stone.

"What the hell?!" Yang shouted.

"This is getting out of hand." Blake added. "How are they not drawing more attention to themselves."

"I think they have enough attention." Ren answered. "I just don't think anyone else wants to get wrapped up in this battle."

"And all the other Captains that were there are dealing with their own issues." Phoenix added. "It's just Jaune and Winter that are left to solve this."

As the cyclone started to dissipate, they could all see that Senbonzakura had completely enveloped Winter to protect her but they too were slowly scattering from her form. She did nothing but stare forward at Jaune, still stunned by this latest revelation.

With the lowering of a blade, all the dust and wind was blown away instantly, revealing Jaune with his back to her. Jaune was now wearing a long-sleeved, ankle-length black coat with red lining, which was closed at his chest and left to flare out into ragged ends. But the biggest change was his sword. The massive blade had shrunk down to a daitō with a four pronged cross guard and a small length of chain with a broken link at the end, dangling from the base of the hilt. The entire sword now black. Jaune just looked at Winter and said one thing. "Tensa Zangetsu."

Winter was just staring in shock, "So then, that's it?" Jaune turned to face her completely, "That little weapon? That's your Bankai? It looks like just a regular zanpakuto."

"I was honestly expecting more." Nora said, still staring. "Especially with all that fanfare before."

Yang nodded, "I kinda agree. What is that sword going to do what the other couldn't?"

"It's not just the sword, Yang. It's the skill behind it, trust me on that." Blake informed her partner, remembering the last person she knew that used a similar weapon.

"Either way, he looks awesome." Ruby said in excitement. "I can't wait to see what he can do now!"

Yang playfully rolled her eyes, "Forever the Weapon Nut."

At this point, she seemed to have calmed down, "Now I can see. This is no different from the day of execution." That was until she scowled at him, "What it comes down to is the fact that you enjoy treading on things we hold sacred. What you need is to be taught a lesson!" The blades of her zanpakuto started to gather in the air once again. "I plan on showing you what happens to immature brats who try to insult our honor." With that said, eruptions of blades burst from behind her before flying at Jaune.

"Oh boy." Qrow said. "He just pissed her off. This is going to get worse before it gets better for him."

"Know from experience?" Tai asked him with a gently poke with his elbow.

He shrugged, "She makes it easy and it's funny."

"Don't throw that." Phoenix said sternly with a sip of his coffee. Everyone turned to see that Winter had stood and was halfway through throwing her drink at Qrow. Once she realized what she was about to do, she sat down and tried to act normally. But the blush on her cheeks ruined that façade.

But once the blades cleared, they all heard the sound of a chain jingle and Jaune was now standing in Winter's face with his sword at her neck. Much to her shock as she looked down at the sword.

"What!?" Pyrrha shouted in shock.

"He got into her guard before she could react." Ruby said wide eyed. "He's faster than I ever could be…"

"And we just got a look at what this new form can do." Qrow grinned. "This is going to be very interesting."

"On that, we can agree." Raven said with a similar grin.

"You want to talk about pride?" He asked while looking directly into her eyes. "Your so-called 'honor' demands that you kill Weiss. Takes a lot of honor to kill your own sister, doesn't it?"

He held her gaze before pulling his blade away. "Well, if that's the kind of pride you're talking about, you can bet your ass I'm going to mess with it." He then leapt back, far enough to give them both comfortable space before they resumed their fight. "That's the reason I got this power! Your stupid pride!" he shouted as he pointed his sword at his opponent once more.

Winter just kept observing him and recalling what just happened. 'For an instant, I completely lost sight of him. I couldn't react… Impossible!'

"Tell me why. Why did you take the point of your sword away from my throat?" That got a confused look from Him. "Well? Answer me." She asked. "Arrogance destroys the footholds of victory."

"She makes a good point." Raven spoke up. "In that instance, he had every advantage. If not a complete victory. But he just threw that all away the second he stepped away. That may've just given up his only chance."

"I hate to agree with her but she is right." Ironwood said reluctantly. "That Winter will now be on guard and better prepared for whatever comes next. He better tread carefully."

"Considering how this Mr. Arc has been acting, I don't think that's going to happen." Goodwitch pointed out.

"That move of yours is not Bankai. There could never be a Bankai so small and fragile as that. And a lowly Ryoka could never attain Bankai. It's inconceivable." Throughout all of this, Jaune didn't say a words. And some of the blades that were at her feet started to move once again, "With this attack, you'll regret not slitting my throat when you had the chance."

As they started to move in the air around her, she continued, "A miracle only happens once. Your luck has run out, boy!" The blades then erupted from below her again directly at him but Jaune just jumped over them like last time as they slammed into where he was just standing.

As he was in the air, more started to rise from the ground behind her and create another trail from her right. Jaune easily ducked under that before having to dodge a third one soon after. All while being wary of the trail below him. He kept dodging as more and more came at him. That was until he completely disappeared from sight, only reappearing in front of her again.

As soon as he was there, he raised his sword over his head for a swing. But before he made contact, more blade created a mass to block it before pushing him into the air. But it wasn't long before he vanished yet again.

He appeared on her left but she turned to look at him, sending another tendril after him. He ducked under it before using his free hand to push off the ground speeding under himself. That allowed him to sail completely over her and land in her blind spot, crouched. 'How does he move so quickly?' she asked herself as she looked over her shoulder at him. More blades erupted from the ground, this time looking like a wave coming toward shim. 'My Senbonzakura, it can't keep up.'

"He's keeping her on the defensive now." Ozpin grinned. "Mr. Arc may be better prepared than we thought."

"Kick her butt, Jaune!" Yang cheered with a fist bump.

"Yeah!" Ruby added. "Show her what happens when you threaten a member of Team RWBY!"

Weiss rolled her eyes but had a heartfelt smile on her lips, "You two are impossible."

Two more tendrils came after him but he vanished yet again. This time appearing just to his own right as he ran several more feet. He disappeared again before reappearing closer in a direct line towards Winter. He then started to move faster and faster until eventually there were multiple after images of himself moving around her in overlapping circles.

"Just how fast is her going?" Pyrrha asked as she tried to keep up with him but was failing.

"It's like he's combined my Semblance with Ruby's." Blake pointed out as she too was failing to track him.

Winter tried to track him with her eyes but even she couldn't keep track of him. "What's the matter?" Jaune asked. "Am I moving too slow for you? Just say so. I can go a little faster if you'd like."

"Don't get too cocky. Such arrogance!" she shouted and threw her arm to the side. Instantly, several trails of blades flew in that direction.

Jaune's eyes widened in shock at that. He kept vanishing with a trail slamming right where he was a second before. He kept watching Winter as she was now using her hands and arms to direct her blades. Another large trail shot at him but Jaune stopped before jumping high into the air. Instead of slamming into the ground, the blades spun in a circle above the ground before taking off after him. Two more soon joined it and Jaune disappeared again just before they collided with one another.

He reappeared on the ground a good distance from Winter in a crouch, not even a second later. He looked over to her in shock, "She got faster."

She threw her arm at him and that collision of three trails shot at him again but he vanished once more. "Using the palms of my hands, I'm twice as fast." She pointed all her fingers at him and several more trails shot at him.

"Looks like my other is taking him more serious now." Winter said as she watched this fight escalating more and more. But she was still hoping that her other would lose this fight, as weird as a concept that was.

"Just how strong are you in this world?" Weiss asked, still baffled by what she was watching.

Phoenix decided to answer that one for her, "She's definitely one of the stronger Captains but she is definitely not the most powerful one they have right now."

"Oh joy." Came Qrow's usual sarcasm. "More to worry about."

While in the air, he had to keep dodging them all as they kept coming after him. As soon as he was back in view, another one was already on its way to intercept him. 'There's nothing I can't capture! Nothing!' Her trails had been moving in the air to form an almost impromptu cage. She clenched her hand and dozens of trails converged on him to attack from all angles. 'I've got him!'

They all hit, consuming Jaune in billions of blades.

Everyone just stared. No one expecting that end to the fight. The fact that Jaune had most likely been killed had not fully settled into any of their minds yet.

But then the blades were displaced as Jaune started to unleash dozens, if not hundreds, of high speed sword swings. With a shout of exertion, he gave one last swing and the blades were dispersed in the air like actual petals on the breeze.

"Jaune!" Ruby shouted excitedly.

"Okay that was badass but he nearly gave me a heart attack there." Yang said as her hand settled over her rapidly beating heart.

"I'm just… I don't know…" Pyrrha said, almost in awe. "The fact that her knocked billions of blades away… I can't even imagine the amount of skill and speed needed to do that."

"I share that sentiment, Miss Nikos." Ozpin agreed, deeply impressed by that young man's abilities.

Winter just stared up in shock, 'Impossible! He sliced through all of them.'

She just kept staring in disbelief before he disappeared. She then heard his voice coming from much closer than before, "A miracle only happens once, huh?" The screen then showed he was directly behind her with his sword resting on his shoulder. "So, what do you call this?"

She turned to face him just as Jaune went to stab her. The screen showed the bloody tip of his sword and several drops of blood hitting the ground. But it was shown that she had caught the blade with her hand and was able to divert it from her body at the cost for the deep cut.

Weiss let out a breath as she leant back in her seat, "That was close."

"I thought you were rooting for Jaune?" Nora asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I am." Weiss told her as she turned her head while letting it rest on the seat. "But I don't want to see Jaune maim or kill my sister though."

Nora sucked in a breath at that, "Oh, right… Yeah, I can get that."

"I see. By focusing all the fighting power of the Bankai in that small blade, that Bankai gives you incredible power. It's size combined with its intensity allow you to fight at unimaginable speeds. Even I have to admit that the true power of your Bankai is impressive."

The two just stared each other down before she stood tall once again but refusing to let go of his sword. "Very well then. There is nothing left for me to do, but completely crush that power!" With that, she released more of her Spiritual Pressure that seemed to shake the entirety of the cliffside and some of the Soul Society that was close by.

"She still has more power?" Weiss said tensely as she forced herself to sit up again.

"And she isn't even the strongest." Yang said with a whistle. "That's intimidating, not going to lie."

When she released enough of her energy, the two just kept staring until she eased her grip on the sword. As soon as she did, both jumped back away from the other, readying for the final part of this fight.

Winter was still just glaring, "Watch carefully, Jaune Arc." The blood that had fallen from her hand started to glow blue before ethereal flames of the same color sprung to life around her. They then spread outwards, surrounding them both in a ring. Jaune didn't flinch and stayed in his stance, preparing for anything. The flames then shot up into the air, creating a dome around them that started to shine brightly. "What you see is what happens when I abandon all defense and risk everything to kill my enemy. This is the true form of Senbonzakura."

The light faded, leaving them in this dark void before swords of light started to form in the air around them. Four rows of these swords surrounded them in a dome as the different levels circled around them in alternating directions. "Senkei… Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

"I thought you said Bankai was the final form of their swords?" Ozpin asked Phoenix.

"It is. This is less of another form but just a technique derived from her Bankai. It's confusing but that the simplest I can put it." He clarified.

Jaune just stared on in shock and fear at this new technique. "Don't worry, though." Winter told him as she slowly took a few steps closer. "This is just your funeral procession. The thousand swords all around you will not attack you at once. So relax. This Senkei is the form I show to only those special few enemies…" She raised her right arm and the rows of swords stopped moving. One came free and came down to her hand. When she gripped it, it turned into a regular katana. "Who are truly deserving of my vow to kill them with my own hands. You are only the second person to ever see it."

"I'm truly flattered." Jaune told her.

Winter flipped her sword so she was holding it properly. That was when both their energies erupted around them like fire. The ground was literally breaking apart from their combined energies.

"You can do this." Weiss muttered to herself but was loud enough for anyone to hear, if they weren't too focus on the next part of this fight.

"Here I come, Jaune Arc!" she told him as she ran towards him. Jaune let out his own battle cry as he raced towards her as well. When they two blades collided, it released a wave of energy around them. When the light faded the two just kept trading blow after blow with neither one gaining any sort of advantage.

This eventually escalated to them using their Flash Step to try to gain an edge. They would completely vanish from you before appearing just long enough to clash then be off again. Their deadlock eventually ended when Winter maneuvered her sword enough to slash him across the shoulder. The two quickly disengaged and got some distance.

'So fast. I think she's gotten even faster since she revealed her Senkei to me.' He thought to himself. 'But still, it's nothing I can't match. I can go a little faster too.'

That was when Winter completely vanished from his sight to only reappear in front of him with her blade point directly in front of his eyes. She went for the stab but he was able to dodge enough so it only cut his right cheek.

"That was close." Pyrrha said on edge.

"Too close." Yang agreed as she started clench and unclench her hands from the tension.

When he looked again, she was now standing behind him. He spun to meet her but she was at his back with her sword reaching over his shoulder to his chest. He was just able to intercept it and used his own blade to keep hers down and away from him. "What's the matter?" she asked. "You seem to be moving much slower than when we started, Jaune Arc."

"Is that a fact?" he asked with a grin. "I can still block your sword. When you move, it's almost like it's still stationary."

Winter just looked off to the side and another blade came to her other hand, which she stabbed directly into his foot. He let out a gasp of pain as Winter let go of the new sword, keeping him pinned. "Hado Four…" She raised her hand and placed her left index finger directly over his chest. "Byakurai." And with that word, a large bolt of lightning erupted from his back and into the distance.

"She can shoot lightning too?!" Nora shouted. "How is that fair!"

"She used Kidō." Phoenix started to explain. "Think of it as a number of spells Soul Reapers can study and learn that use their own energy."

"So magic." Nora added.

"Kinda, yeah."

No one else was really registering this conversation. All of them worried about the state he would be in after that attack.

Jaune was just starting to register the pain of the smoking hole in his chest. Winter pulled her sword free and he stumbled back a step, still in shock. "It's over for you, Jaune Arc."

He shakily looked back up to her, "What'd you say?" he asked as his voice was shaking from the strain. That's when he noticed how badly his sword was shaking in his hands. 'My body… I can't move!' he thought in realization.

"I gather you think my movements became faster after using my Senkei. That's not true." She started to explain. "All that technique does is to compress my numerous sword fragments into blades, in order to explosively increase its killing capabilities. I haven't gotten faster." The blade in her off hand started to glow before it faded away.

"So then are you saying that what has actually changed here is that I've gotten slower?" he asked.

"No…" Ruby said. "Not like this. What happened?"

"There is nothing for you to be ashamed for. You have defeated many high level Soul Reapers. You have gone far beyond what anyone thought you were capable of. You even survived slashes from Senbonzakura. But you can feel it now, can't you? Your body is dying. You're only human. Though your spirit has not been broken, there is a limit to what you can endure. You have reached that limit."

She held out her hand and another blade came to her. She raised it over her head for one final downward slash. "This is the end, Jaune Arc!"

"Jaune needs to get out of there, now!" Yang said, scared for him.

"Jaune, move!" Ruby shouted.

"No…" Weiss said despondently.

Jaune just watched in horror as her blade began to move down. 'Move… I have to move! Move, damnit!' He kept repeating to himself as his world started to go dark. 'Why am I here? Why have I come all this way? It's all for nothing if I don't win! I wanna win!' His world went completely black. 'I need to win!'

There was a higher pitch scoff before Jaune's left hand shot up and caught her blade, much to her shock. Then that higher pitch voice started coming from Jaune, "I thought I told you already. It's a big problem for me if you get yourself killed."

"That voice…" Winter stared at the screen in confusion. "There is something off with it."

"And why is it coming from Jaune?" Weiss added.

"That's impossible." Winter said again. "Who or what are you?"

"You want to know who I am?" It chuckled. "I have no name!" Jaune looked up, revealing that the top left corner of his face was covered in a skull-like mask. Some teeth appeared over his mouth while five red lines covered a good chunk of this partial mask; three above the eye and curving down the nose, while the other two were just below the eye spreading across the cheek. The eye behind the mask was completely yellow with no pupil and the one on the right had a black sclera and yellow iris. But the manic grin on the face completed the horrifying image.

"He looks like a Grimm." Ruby said in horror. "What happened to him?"

"I don't know. But I'm terrified." Pyrrha said with a shaky voice.

This new entity instantly delivered a devastating upward slash across her chest while she was distracted, chuckling as it did so. It sent her sliding back as blood scattered onto the ground. "Jaune, what a complete amateur you are! Couldn't you tell? You've been getting crushed by your own Bankai's Spiritual Pressure. Every bone in your body is creaking from the strain! You really are a hopeless case!"

As it was saying this, Winter was just staring in shock, if not horror. Just trying to understand what was going on. As she did, it crushed the sword that Winter just tried to kill him with, which was in its hand, back into the fragments that made it. "So I'll show ya how I use this Bankai!"

Winter quickly called another sword to her hand to be prepared. The entity just chuckled and swung its arm, releasing a black and red outline Getsugatensho at her, much to her shock. 'A black Getsuga.'

She managed to use Flash Step to get out of the way of the attack as it destroyed the ground she was on. When she reappeared, she looked up to see that it was already above her. With another laugh it sent another Getsugatensho that she quickly dodged.

"Winter's back on the defensive." Blake said, while trying to keep her voice even. "But I don't like where this is going."

"Same, partner." Yang nodded. "We don't even understand what is going on right now."

Once again when she was back, it was running towards her and sent another Getsugatensho. She tried to jump back but was stopped by this entity placing a hand on her shoulder as it got behind her. Now with the entire left side of Jaune's face covered in that mask as its laughter continued to echo around them. The attacked hit and the energy rippled out from around the cliffside.

When the dust cleared, Winter was heavily damaged and bleeding. Her hair had even come undone from its bun, leaving it in a dishevel display. As she was breathing heavily, she tried to speak. "This twisted Spiritual Pressure… That white mask… Are you a Hollow?"

"That's possible?" Raven asked. "A Soul Reaper can become a Hollow."

"It wouldn't be the first time." Was Phoenix's only response.

The mask was starting to grow and cover more of his face as the entity spoke up, "Who cares? I don't have to tell you anything, because as soon as I finish with you, you're going to-"

At that moment, all color bled from the world and they heard Jaune's voice, 'Disappear!'

Its eye widened in shock as his free hand grabbed a hold of the mask. Winter just looked on, a mix of terror and shock on her face. As he was trying to ripped the mask off his face, the entity was not going quietly, "Let go!"

'Don't need you! Stop interfering!'

"Jaune's fighting back! He's still in there!" Nora shouted. "Come on, Fearless Leader!"

"Don't give up, Jaune." Weiss said out loud, mostly to herself but everyone around her heard.

Jaune's energy started to surround his body, "You're the one who's interfering! Don't you get it?! I was about to kill her! You will win if you just leave it to me!" The mask was starting to come lose from his face and the entity started to swing its sword frantically "You fool! Damn you!"

It kept screaming until Jaune ripped the mask from his face, the pieces shattering and landing on the floor. Jaune just kept panting before he looked back up to the dumbfounded Winter, his eyes back to normal. "Sorry about that. That was an unwelcome interruption." He said as he scratched the back of his head.

"That was an interruption?" Winter questioned.

'An interruption? That's what that was to him?' she thought. 'I think he means that if he had continued to fight me in that form, then even if he had defeated me, the victory wouldn't have been truly his.'

Winter just gave him this look, one that borderline respect. "Very well. I won't ask you to explain what that thing was. I don't think either of us has enough strength left to continue this fight for very much longer. We'll finish this off with one final attack."

"All right." he agreed.

"So it's all going to come down to this." Qrow said as he sat forward in his seat. "One way or another, it'll end here."

Everyone could feel the tension growing and no one was sure how this would play out.

"But first, let me ask just one more question. Tell me why. Why wouldn't you save Weiss?"

"If you actually succeed in defeating me, then I will answer that question." She told him. She took her sword in both hands and all the swords of light around her disappeared. All the energy from them poured into her last blade before a pillar of energy erupted from her. When the light dulled, the blade appeared as bright white now and its aura took on a form similar to a bird With pure white wings formed on her back, as well as a halo-like circle, made of concentrated spiritual energy. "Shukei… Hakuteiken."

"How many techniques does she have?" Yang said, exasperated.

"Too many." Weiss said in annoyance.

Jaune just grinned. "That's incredible. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I don't have anything amazing to compare to that. Zangetsu only taught me Getsugatensho. So the only trick I really have left now…" He placed his other hand over his wrist of his sword arm, "Is to compress all of my Spiritual Pressure into one final attack." Black energy started to circle around him before erupting upwards like black fire. "Here I come, Winter Schnee!"

The two raced towards each other, each wreathed in energy. As the collided, pitch black and stark white energy erupted from behind them. The cliffside was obscured by the intense energy for several seconds before dissipating.

Everyone just stared at that display of power. Either in awe or fear. Raven chuckle slightly, "All of that from a single clash of swords." She looked at the screen in disbelief. "After everything I've done, I thought I was near the top of the mountain when it came to power… I was incredibly wrong."

She looked down, 'What was it all for then? All the sacrifices…'

Back to the fighters, they were now several paces past each other with their backs to the other. Both were just staring forward. That was until blood erupted from a deep cut from Jaune's other shoulder.

"Jaune!" Most of the students shouted at once.

"No…" Winter said just above a whisper.

He started to fall forward until he stabbed his sword into the ground to support his entire weight. "I won't fall!"

That was when blood erupted from a similar wound on Winter's shoulder. Despite that, she took several steps forward. She then stopped to look down at her bloody hand that was now shaking. She remembered that at the moment of impact, Jaunes sword broke through her own without issue, turning the blade back into petal like fragments. She opened her hand to allow the few remaining fragments fly away.

"Does that mean Jaune wins?" Ruby questioned

"Depends if Winter gives up or not." Blake pointed out.

"You wanted to know." she started, much to Jaune's shock. "Why I would allow Weiss to be executed." Jaune pulled his sword free and managed to turn ninety degrees before slamming it back into the ground to support himself. But now he could somewhat face her.

"Criminals must be brought to justice. Once their punishment is decided, it must be carried out. That is the rule of the law."

"You honor the law? Even over the life of your own sister?" he asked, shocked.

"Sympathy towards a relative? What could be more pointless?"

"How can you say that?"

"Feelings and emotions have no value compared to the law. Luckily, I've never been burdened by such useless sentiments." She turned to face him. "The Schnee family is one of the Four Great Noble Clans. We're duty bound to serve as examples for all Soul Reapers. How can we enforce our laws if we ourselves are not willing to obey them?"

"So it is Duty." Ironwood stated. "That's what drives her."

"Not exactly." Phoenix said as he leant forward to rest his forearms on his legs. "Winter is bound by two Vows. One to never break the law and uphold Soul Society's traditions. While the other is to protect Weiss. The contradiction of those vows has been tearing her up inside this entire time." Sadly, he shook his head. "Duty won out and its been killing her since."

"So she has been struggling this whole time. Trying to keep pushing on." Weiss said out loud as she turned to look at her sister. The epitome of confliction was on her face after hearing how similar she was to her other. Weiss and Duty were the two big drives in her life. Only difference for her was that Weiss would win out. Every time. She would make sure of that.

Jaune just stared at her for the longest time before turning to face her properly. "I'm sorry. I still can't understand. I swear, even if I were in your position, I would fight the law. I would fight until I ended your stupid law!"

Her eyes widened in shock before they went back to normal. 'Now I see. I was never his true enemy. What this child was fighting against since the beginning was the law of the Soul Society.'

She looked at him for a while before turning her back on him. "Jaune Arc, because of your free spirit and reckless abandon, you have broken my sword." She started to walk away. "You have my word. I will pursue Weiss no more. You have won." She then vanished with Flash Step.

Jaune just stood there, stunned. He then stood up and screamed at the top of his lungs. The screen faded out from there.

The screen went dark with that and Phoenix turned to them all, "So what did you think?"

"It was definitely something." Yang said with a chuckle. "Threw us right into the deep end though."

"I like it." Ruby grinned. "Besides how awesome the fight was, it showed that Jaune values his friends and family above all else."

That made Pyrrha chuckle, "That's something that's more true for our Jaune."

Weiss chuckled as well, "Yes. I think I'm finally getting to understand that." She looked back up at the Writer, "Will we see more of this world."

He bobbed his head back and forth, "Maybe once or twice. But I think we'll see another of the worlds I couldn't decide on from earlier next." He reached over to his tome and grinned, "I think we'll go with one of my personal favorites. And you can Believe it."