A/N: Alright! This is it! Showtime, Xhang! By the way, I knew Remnantian fighters were fast, but when I saw Pyrhha's fight with Team CRDL…

*gulp* Like I said, I'm trash at fight scenes, so bear with me please.

Oh, and by the way, text in bold italics are Xhang's thoughts. Just letting you know.

Chapter 4: Showdown

P.O.V: Pyrhha

He charges straight ahead, the mace glinting in the light, ready to swing. Pyrhha tenses, just about ready to end the match quickly- a sidestep should ring him out just fine.

He leans backward, the mace gaining momentum. Pyrhha puts her left foot forward, calculating her next move…

Then out of nowhere, he spins.

Swinging the mace parallel to his body, he drops to a knee and sends his weapon straight into Pyrhha's knees, catching her off guard and causing her to tumble down forward, only for her to save it with a forward roll.

She gets to her feet, bewildered at the sudden tactical maneuver, before remembering Cardin. She turns to his general direction, only to be met with a metal flange to the face, sending her flying backwards. Hitting the ground hard, she sinks her javelin down on the cold surface, stopping her momentum from carrying her even farther.

The crowd gasps. Pyrhha is Beacon's finest fighter, nigh untouchable, so to see her getting hit so hard came as a shock to everyone. And what surprised them even more; this was Cardin's doing. And Cardin had a reputation for swinging wildly and without a thought for defense. And that usually earns him a swift defeat.

Pyrhha shakily gets up, trying to get her bearings together. That. Hurt. Even for her Aura.

She looks around, looking for Cardin... There he is!

He's just standing there on the spot she had occupied about a moment ago, still in that curious stance of his. His grip on the mace was firm, ready to start swinging it again. He watches on, patiently waiting.

Waiting for what?

Pyrhha gets back into a ready position. That had came out of nowhere. She will not allow that to happen again. She had gotten too used to Cardin's usual hit til you can't behavior that she did not see the sudden change in tactic happen fast enough.

Cardin charges again.

Pyrhha tenses, anticipating another surprise attack.

The lumbering brute swings the weapon overhead, only for it to be met by Akoúo, the force jolting her left arm, but it was mostly bearable. Taking the chance, Pyrhha changes Miló into xiphos mode and attempts a slash at his legs, but out of nowhere, Cardin's hand grabs it, stopping it before she could even swing. He forcefully yanks it out of her grip, before he sends a powerful frontal kick, stumbling her back. Then, Miló in his hand, he switches his grip's orientation, while simultaneously shifting the weapon into javelin form, the weapon now in a throwing position, and throws it hard and fast at Pyrhha's face. In a panic, she raises her shield, the javelin ricocheting off it with a resounding *CLANG!* before using her Semblance to return the weapon back to her hand.

Alright, that's it. No more Mister Nice Guy.

Fully intent on ending the match fast, it was Pyrhha's turn to charge in. She'll have to probe his defenses, look for a chink in his armor.

If there is one, that is.

She began by slashing at his chest. Almost immediately, he raises the mace to block the incoming attacks, the hilt of the weapon colliding with the Spartan's xiphos, sparks flying into the air. She tries for a leg sweep, only for him to deftly punch the ground with his fist, her thigh hitting the hard surface of his metal arm gauntlet. Shifting his weight forward, Cardin retracts his fist, momentum building to muster another swift hook, but before he could let his fist fly, Pyrhha rolls to the right, and in a flash, she jumps to her feet and bashes Cardin's face with Akoúo. The attack staggers the brute backwards, but only for a few moments. Then he regains his bearings, and onwards he charges.

He brings the Executioner to the right, the attack parried away by Pyrhha's shield. She tries for a slash-stab combo, but Cardin merely shrugs it off by casually deflecting the attacks with the hilt of his mace. Then, taking the Executioner in one hand, he brings the weapon downwards, Pyrhha just barely raising her shield in time to stop the incoming attack from crushing her skull in. Bringing a fist to bear, Cardin uppercuts with as much strength as possible (did he just glow white for a sec there?), but the redhead manages to deflect the blow, before immediately reciprocating it with a swift punch to the face, knocking the brute off his feet. Much to her surprise he skillfully gets back up, before grabbing his mace in his left hand. Then, with a loud grunt, he swings the mace forward with all his might, before letting his grip go slack.

The weapon soars through the air, traveling in a curved arc, the trajectory perfectly calculated… and and heading right towards Pyrhha, who barely manages to jump out of the way. The heavy projectile hits the ground with a large *THUD, kicking up dust everywhere.

Pyrhha pants as she stares incredulously at the Executioner, now stuck in the ground headfirst. That was close. Who knew Cardin could throw that far?

Wait. Where's Cardin?

She feels someone gently tap on her shoulder. She turns, only to face nothing but empty air. Confused, she starts to return her field of view to the mace, but suddenly, a strong pair of arms wrap around her waist, locking the redhead in a powerful vise. She tries to break out of it, but her assailant wouldn't budge.

"Word of advice: Don't let your guard down, even for a moment," Cardin matter-of-factly says behind her, before lifting her up into the air, and slamming her headfirst into the ground behind them. The crowd collectively winces as the suplex is completed, and the poor redhead is finally let go of Cardin's grip, left to groan in pain as she tries to recover. As for Cardin, he casually treads over to his mace and hefts the thing back up onto his shoulder like it's nobody's business.

He waits patiently, as his opponent slowly gets back up to her feet, and painstakingly recollects her weapons, before finally signaling to Cardin that she was ready to start up again.

Nodding, he starts running.

Blow for blow. Swing after swing. A turbulent blur of fast attacks was all that could be said to describe the next half of the duel. The first half of the fight had shaved off 29% of Pyrhha's Aura, but here, little to no Aura was sacrificed as the exchange continued on. Sparks flew through the air as each attack was neatly blocked or parried, either by Pyrhha or Cardin. Pyrhha had the advantage of speed, experience and her Semblance, but Cardin himself had the element of surprise, unpredictability and sheer, unforgiving strength on his side. For a while, the crowd (most especially teams RWBY and JN(P)R) watched on, coming to think that for a moment, the two combatants were evenly matched.

Then all hell broke loose.

Swinging his mace like a tornado in a violent storm, he begins to violently smash his mace against Pyrhha, the raw strength of the attacks stumbling the redhead before finally, after the 5th swing, he spins right and throws the mace in that direction, the weapon soaring through the air before embedding itself into the ground, just a foot away from the ring's edge. Then, continuing the spin, he jumps into the air, his hand clenching into a fist. Pyrhha barely even had time to register the incoming attack, before the fist slams straight into her face. The impact, so hard it was a small *boom* was slightly audible (Blake definitely heard it), was powerful enough to send her flying through the air, 3 feet even, before hitting the ground hard, her right arm coming to an inch away from the ring's edge. Miló and Akoúo are ejected out of her grasp, cluttering to a messy heap behind Cardin.

General P.O.V

His Aura rippled a slight bit after completing the move. Blinded Rage is usually an advanced attack reserved for the Giant Sword (although not a lot of people remember it), but it can be used for a two handed hammer- err, mace- just fine. Although he had to admit, the punch was a bit too hard for the normally required force. No wonder he felt his Aura go down a bit.

He was panting hard. His heart was thundering in his chest, sweat began to drip off his chin, and he was just generally trying to get himself together.

He never had a fight like this before. Pyrhha was exceptionally skilled, something Xhang could manage, but her speed…

For the first time in his life (well, two lives, but whatever), Xhang has found a genuine challenge. And he liked challenges.

Slight complication though.

All around him, the audience falls into a near deafening silence. A kind of silence that you could hear a pin drop in. He always found those kinds of silences unnerving. Usually it accompanied the singing of an assassin's blade, the reverberating boom of a landmine, or the whoosh of a gun bullet. And trust me, he's had too many of those incidents happen to him during his travels.

Somehow though, this felt worse.

Slowly, the redhead got back to her feet, her gaze inscrutable. She stared at the brute for a while, eyeing him with an expression Xhang couldn't place. He gradually began to become even more anxious. The hit didn't do too much damage… right?

He looked up at the screens.

Cardin Winchester: 89%

Pyrhha Nikos: 62%

Yikes.

Maybe a little over the top, huh?

Then he felt something bang into the back of his head, sending him staggering to the ground with a loud thud. Groaning, he looked up, looking for whatever did that.

Overhead, Akoúo and Miló soar through the air, landing perfectly in Pyrhha's hands. In a flash, Miló shifts into rifle mode, the redhead bracing the weapon on her shield, taking aim.

Where she's aiming at, well, that needed little explanation.

"Crap," he muttered under his breath.

He hastily shot to his feet, kicking up dust and dirt everywhere as his boots desperately searched for traction, before making a break for his mace.

While all around him, the sky became alit in fire.

The air suddenly became permeated in dust and smoke as the bullets began to fly. Lead and steel sang through through the air, whizzing angrily past Xhang, coming so close as to an inch that he could feel the heat of the bullets zooming through. Most of the bullets just whooshed past. Others struck true, however, and the fighter felt the hard impacts of the projectiles, wincing as he felt them dig right into his back, although his Aura took the beating, and not his body. The concept of Aura was new to the shadow fighter, and it would take some getting used to, but right now, he was ever so grateful to have something take the beating instead of him. Too many times he had to pull arrows, harpoons and even bullets out of his body after a scuffle or two (or twelve, given his reputation and notoriety back home). That tends to get annoying real fast.

He ran, as fast as he could, the bullets still hitting him, the mace just a metre away. Then, the bullets stop flying. He didn't had time to notice though. Stopping in front of the Executioner, he wraps a hand on the hilt and pulls. After some force, the mace breaks free of its earthen constraints, throwing up dirt into the air. Weapon in hand, he then turns behind, faintly wondering why did the bullets stop.

He got his answer…

In the form of an incoming Pyrhha, her xiphos gleaming in the light.

Rolling away from the ring's edge, he meets Pyrhha's sword with his mace's hilt. Sparks fly every which way, the two combatants locked in a fierce test of strength.

Now, that wouldn't normally be a bad thing… if it weren't for the fact that Pyrhha was slowly gaining the upper hand. Gradually, the red and gold blade began to make its way towards Xhang's face, slowly but surely getting closer, inch by inch.

This is bad. I need to break off… somehow. I'm in too tight, so it won't be easy. Hmm…

Raising a fist, he socks Pyrhha in the face (again), the redhead unable to react fast enough, staggering back a few steps. He then attempts to bring his mace downwards, but Pyrhha, having recovered from the blow, ducks, the mace clawing at empty air, allowing her to swing her right leg out in a leg sweep. Unfortunately, it was Xhang's turn to not react quickly, and his foot catches on Pyrhha's. The momentum of the Executioner, combined with his own weight (this is why he preferred slim, not muscular, jeez), caused him to crash to the ground. Hard. Oh, and he went in face first too, so that sucks.

He had only just gotten to a knee when a loud bang resonated across the air. Miló, now a javelin, speeds towards the brute, who yelps in surprise and ducks, the javelin planting itself into the ground a few feet behind him. Jumping to his feet, he barely raises Executioner just in time to stop Pyrhha from driving the sharp end of her shield down his neck. The shield's edge slid past the mace's hilt with an ear-splitting screech, the Spartan backing up a bit, before charging at him again. Another exchange ensues, and this time, the brute was beginning to run into some prov.

Having been galvanized by Xhang's previous blows, Pyrhha begins to pull out all the stops. She was a blur, the shadow fighter hardly keeping up. He could only block just a few attacks, before things began to fall apart fast. Blows became harder to parry, and he winced as the hits found their mark, his Aura dipping by hairbreadths as Pyrhha continued her relentless rampage. A blow to the knee, his shin, his right arm, his chest. On and on, they kept coming, a seemingly never ending storm of lightning fast strikes. Now Xhang really was in trouble.

Shite! I need to get out of here!

In a desperate bid for escape, he attempts a feint, faking a swing to her legs. Pyrhha takes the bait, and quickly moves to block it, buying the shadow fighter enough time try to get some breathing room. He spins, and quickly performs a Legionary back kick, his boot strong enough to handle the blow, pushing the redhead back a tad. Taking the chance, he rolls forward, a good distance away from his previous spot, and shooting to his feet, he makes a break for the other side of the ring, fully intent on putting some distance between him and a very pissed off Pyrhha.

The latter of whom apparently had other ideas, it seems.

Having yanked out Miló from the ground, she begins to give chase. How convenient.

Reaching the center of the arena, he turns to face Pyrhha, bringing his mace around to swing, only for Pyrhha to quickly defenestrate that by slamming Akoúo into Xhang. The blow catches the fighter off guard, allowing Pyrhha to execute a devastating combo; slashing at Xhang's legs with her javelin, she cartwheels, the sides of her feet slamming into the brute's forehead, before backflipping. Spinning midair, she throws her shield, the metal circle an angry red and gold blur, before impacting against Xhang's breastplate and ricocheting away and digging itself into the ground below Pyrhha, allowing her to land on the shield's tip on one leg. Shifting her javelin into rifle form, she turns around and jumps, simultaneously firing the rifle, the recoil propelling her through the air, sending her flying at a heavily disoriented Xhang. With both hands, she grabs her rifle by the barrel and, reaching Xhang's general direction, she swings it like a bat, the stock connecting with the back of his head, sending him to his knees. Landing on both of her feet a few meters behind the brute, she calls for her shield using her Semblance. The metal circle vibrates a bit before extricating itself from the floor, soaring through the air, before colliding with Xhang's face, the impact so hard it jolts him back to his feet, Team CRDL's leader yelping in pain. The shield finally lands back in Pyrhha's left arm, and now there's only one thing's left to do. Shifting her weapon once more into javelin mode, she winds up, mustering as much strength as she can, and throws with all her might.

The projectile speeds towards its target, closing in fast. Then…

A deafening *BANG* echoes across the arena as the javelin meets its mark. And by mark, that's Xhang's head. The blow throws the brute forwards, the javelin bouncing off his Aura, which flickered heavily. He hits the ground hard, bouncing off it even, before coming to a stop a foot away from the ring's edge.

At first, the first thing he sees are stars. Lights danced across his vision as he rolls around, groaning in pain. Gradually his vision began to clear, and his hearing faculties slowly returned to him. Voices around the ring were cheering Pyrhha's name. And either he was hit real hard, or did he just hear someone say "break his legs"?

He got to a knee, his eyes scanning the area. Yep, most of the people here were cheering on Xhang's name. All that is, except one group of three.

His crew. They were staring at him, worried expressions etched on their faces. Their body language was tense, shrinking at the crowd calling out Pyrhha's name. Sky however, had a different expression. A determined one. He then says something, the words lost over the deafening roar of the cheers. But he knew the words well, needing only to look at his mouth to understand.

"Get up."

So get up he did. Shakily at first, but his stubbornness (a trait he inherited from his time with the Legion's mercenaries) lifted him back up. On his two feet, his arm traveled to the floor, looking for his mace.

Only to grab at empty air.

Wait. Where is his mace?

"Cardin!" Somehow Dove's voice is just audible enough to hear over the din. With one panicked flick, he points to the western end of the auditorium. Xhang follows his finger… and his heart began to thunder.

On the far western corner of the hall, lays the Executioner, embedded deep into the floor, far far away from the ring.

Pyrhha's (admittedly ingenious) maneuver had shocked him.

Breathing hard, he looked behind himself. Pyrhha stood there in the exact same spot he had occupied before, her glare intense, and with a gaze that could bore a hole into titanium.

That combo had came straight outta nowhere. That was a maneuver worthy of becoming an advanced attack back home. If only the Legionaries had that amount of creativity. Hell, even the Heraldian Spectres would be proud. And they are very hard to impress.

Back to more prosaic matters.

He stared blankly at his hands. His weapon is unavailable to him now. Luckily, that didn't matter. He didn't need one.

He hesitated for a bit. He told himself not to use his true strength here…

Ah, what the hell.

Stomping a foot to the ground, he breaks into a dead sprint towards Pyrhha.

The redhead was, suffice to say it, put off by his move. He had just been disarmed, and his Aura was pretty low so to speak (35% tops), but thought little of it. Deploying her rifle, she began to open fire.

Now, usually normal people (here in Remnant at least) would start flinching and staggering when they're getting shot. This is common knowledge to everyone, here in Beacon and the entire world.

So when Cardin began taking hits, simply shrugged them off and kept on running, that was when Pyrhha's anxiety slowly began to climb. He wasn't even flinching! Sure, the guy winced as a bullet hit him, but that was all to it. Okay, something's real sketchy here. What's that guy up to now?

He was closing in like a speeding homing missile locked on to its target. Finally, attempting to pull a similar trick when she disarmed him a few minutes ago, she threw her javelin. Which apparently was a big whoopise on her account, because when the javelin closed in on the big guy, he drew his arm back and fucking backhanded it away, not even minding the Aura lost in the counter, and successfully sending the projectile out of the ring.

The attack only served to hasten his approach. Hurriedly, Pyrhha braced herself, raising her shield to block a potential attack.

Two meters in, then, he jumps.

He didn't travel a far distance, sure. But he managed to close the distance between them fast. Real fast. Balling his right hand into a fist, he executes one of his most well practiced attacks: the Dynastian heavy punch. Oh yeah, he also went Unbreakable too.

Going Unbreakable probably wasn't the best idea he's had (a fighter abruptly glowing white would be an unusual sight, and he wouldn't really call it a Semblance… probably), but he needed a way to break though that shield. And going Unbreakable was the go-to answer to a blocking opponent back home anyway. Doesn't do much, but it puts them on their toes every now and then.

Just like that, as his fist collides with Pyrhha's shield, the sheer momentum built up by the sprint (paired with his own strength) Pyrhha is swiftly knocked off her feet, the blow so hard it sent her back a few meters. She gets back up, staring at him with a dumbfounded expression.

The crowd breaks into whispers. Even Glynda, who was watching from the sidelines, raised her eyebrows. One collective thought went through the auditorium's minds, a few questions voiced over one thing and one thing only: did he just glow white?

Pyrhha levitates her javelin back to her, the weapon flying into her palm. As she returns to a combat position, she recalls Cardin's previous attack. What in the Brothers' name was that? How did he do that? Was that a Semblance? If so, she's never seen anything like it.

Raising his fists, Xhang violently bangs them together, before throwing them out. The stance is usually used by Legionary convicts, who wear the Rogue's Doublet, but he decided to take a page out of them anyway. As he completes the pose, he briefly glows white.

Legion.

He starts charging at Pyrhha, who responds by shifting her javelin into a xiphos, and attempts a poke at his chest.

Raising his fist, the sword glances off his arm guard, before swatting it away, and using that same arm, rams his elbow right into the redhead's face, causing her to stumble a bit. Shifting his weight forward, he executes a powerful roundhouse, his leg connecting with her knee, who yelps in surprise as the sudden attack causes her to fall backwards, but pops into a backward roll. Recovering swiftly, she tries slashing at Cardin again. This time, the sword does manage to dent his breastplate (and scratch his Aura) but he seems to pay no mind. Balling up both his fists, he temporarily goes Unbreakable and performs a slower, but much stronger version of the Legionary basic punches. Pyrhha tries to parry, but her attempt fails, the brute's Unbreakable state rendering him unflinching to her attack. The first hit bashes against her shield, knocking it out of her hand, and the second hit bashes into her chest, staggering her. She tries to slash at Cardin's face, but like when she threw it at him during his run, he simply backhands it away like a pesky mosquito. Going Unbreakable again, he steps back and, building up as much momentum as possible, executes a swifter version of the Legion back punches, the final hit causing her to fall back again.

Scrambling to her feet, she runs a few meters away from him, and calls her weapons back, both landing neatly in her hands.

She stares on, a panicked expression on her face as she turns towards her adversary.

Xhang cracks his neck with an audible *pop* and starts walking towards her.

A/N: And done! Geez, this took a while. Anyway, read and review, constructive criticism is appreciated, and time for me to get some sleep. Laugh, signing off!