Distortion

It had been about a month or so since Jaune had battled General Ironwood. During that time Pyrrha, Ren and Nora were making their plans. Most of Jaune's appearances after that time had been around Mistral, not too far away from the main Kingdom itself. With a plan set, they packed their essentials and took a bullhead from Beacon to Vale. There, Pyrrha used her fame and wealth to get an airship to take them to Mistral. From there, they would try to collect more information and try to find Jaune to hopefully get him to come with them.

By the time the Professors had found out about NPR's disappearance, it was too late. They were already on there way to Mistral with little way of stopping them. Pyrrha had paid the pilot extra to not turn around for anything. Word spread across the school of what NPR were planning after that. When word eventually got to RWBY, their leader was less than pleased. Currently, she was stomping around their dorm as her teammates watched her. "Why would they do that?" she growled. "They make a plan to go find Jaune and they don't tell us! Jaune's my best friend, they can't just not tell me something like this!"

Blake was the one to answer her, "Ruby, they probably didn't want to get us involved. This is their team's problem and wanted to deal with themselves. You guys did something similar to me, remember?"

She threw her hands up in the air in frustration, "I get that! But we all agreed to help him out and that hasn't changed!" She wasn't sure what she was expecting but the awkward silence that filled the room wasn't it. She stopped her pacing and turned to her team, who were avoiding her gaze. "That hasn't changed, right, guys?"

Weiss and Blake turned to look at Yang. The blonde sighed and jumped off her bed to stand in front of her sister, "Ruby, it's not that we don't want to help him. It's just, how are we supposed to do that? He's not exactly the guy we used to know. He's dangerous."

Ruby was shocked by her sister saying that and that quickly became angry, "He's like that because of us. We hurt him so badly that he wanted to kill himself and when he didn't, he was broken in so many ways because of it."

Weiss spoke to her partner, in her professional tone. "That maybe true but this is a little beyond us. Ruby, he killed Professor Goodwitch and he nearly did the same to General Ironwood. Not to mention what he did to Team CRDL a few months back. The only reason he hasn't done something similar to us is because of this 'rule of one' of his."

Ruby glared at her, "We have no idea what has happened to him since he left Beacon. For all we know he could've been tortured or forced to do this or something worse would've happened to him. We have no idea what Raven has put him through. He could have Stockholm Syndrome for all we know."

"We understand that." Blake was the one to speak up next. "But what we're trying to say is that because of that, we may not be able to bring him back to who he was before." She looked down sadly, "Some things that break can never be truly fixed." Her mind went to Adam for all of a second before she banished those thoughts. She didn't want to compare Jaune to Adam, mostly because she would be partially responsible for the former of the two.

"Is that how you feel about the White Fang?" Ruby asked heatedly which caused Blake to look back up before staring at her in shock. Ruby then turned her head to look at her partner, "Or how you feel about your family's company?" Weiss flinched at her tone. Ruby just looked at her sister before finishing, "Or you wanting to meet your mother?" Yang's jaw dropped when Ruby brought that up. She knew that was a sore spot with Yang and she never brought it up.

There was an extended silence for a bit and Ruby took that as a sign to leave. She got to the door and stopped when she grabbed the doorknob. "Anyone else would consider those goals just as futile, but you wouldn't care about that. Because you care far too much to let them dissuade you. Maybe that just shows how much you really did care about Jaune before all of this. But I refuse to give up on him because that's how much I care for him and it's the absolute least I can do." She didn't even wait for a response before she left. She needed some time in the training room with her sweetheart to burn off some steam.

That left the other three members to sit in a silence. Blake was the one to speak up, "She does have a point."

Weiss sighed, "I know she does, but it doesn't make what she said, hurt any less." After another brief silence, her light blue eyes looked to her teammates, "What do we do now?"

Yang answered her, "For now, Ruby needs some space. So, we'll give her some." She started to head to the bathroom to take a hot shower after everything.

Jaune was currently sitting in the branches of one of the tallest trees in forest near Shion village. He was looking for a known Bounty Hunter that used to live around the area. But because the Branwen tribe attacked this village before their destruction and the ensuing Grimm afterwards, the man most likely moved on. He sighed as he crossed the name off his list of potential members for Knightingale. Honestly, he was getting sick of this routine. All the people he had found either had moved somewhere else or found that they really didn't fit the roles he was looking for.

During that time, Gil and Onyx were still taking missions in Vacuo and Mistral respectively. As long as no one saw them in their masks, they wouldn't be linked to Knightingale for some time. Although, Raven, Aaeron and himself were now highly wanted criminals, so he had finally convinced Raven to take Aaeron for back up on her search for the Branwen's relic. He knew all too well that she could take care of herself, but it just put his mind at ease to have someone back her up, just in case. Even if they knew the other could hold their own, they always worried for the other. Meanwhile, he still went off on missions by himself. Him drawing Atlas' attention helped to keep the others off the radar for as long as possible.

Luckily, finding the bounty hunter was only a side objective. Onyx had found out that Team SSSN would be going on a mission to try and lessen the Grimm here, so the Kingdom could try to rebuild the village again. They were dropped off a mile or two to the south and were going to make their way over to his location eventually. So, all he had to do was just sit and wait. Maybe if he was lucky, he'd finally get a few more members for Knightingale. If not, he'd at least get a chance to get another useful Semblance. Although, it was strange to think of Sun like that. They weren't exactly close to each other. He mostly hung out with Blake but the few times they did hang out, he was cool. He treated him like a friend. That made him wonder, how would have Sun reacted to his fake transcripts? Would he have been like the others or would he have stuck by him?

He shook his head as he put his scroll away. That was in the past now. Sun, and possibly his team, would either join Knightingale or he'd have to deal with them accordingly. He pulled out Souffrance Eternelle from his left holster and observed it. It was still in great condition from all the maintenance he put into it. There were a few scratches and scuffs along the barrel and revolver, but he just saw that as character. All his weapons had sentimental value to him, but this revolver had so much more to him. But that made so much sense when he thought about it.

It had been about two months since Jaune had fully joined the Branwen tribe and Gil was right, it was hell. Since that day, Raven had personally started to train him in swordsmanship and combat, and he had lost track of how many times he had his ass handed to him. If it wasn't for his first few months of training, he probably would've been severely injured during their spars. The only reason he wouldn't be dead is because she didn't want him to be.

Although, he had to give her credit, her style of teaching was working. Unlike Goodwitch, she didn't spell out what he did wrong. He had to figure it out on his own and usually during the fight or he'd repeat the same mistake and it'd be more painful than the first time. That made the progress he gained more valuable and unforgettable. With the bonus of turning his own personal fighting style into a much more adaptive and instinctual style. Combine that with his more tactical mind and even the more senior members of the tribe were becoming impressed by his improvement.

Along with sparring with Raven and their usual exercises, he still worked on the other aspects of his combat style. He was still practicing his shooting and even started to learn how to quickdraw, since he decided he'd stick to handguns over the other guns at the tribe's disposal. His hand-to-hand was still being worked on but instead of learning complex fighting positions and styles, he decided to refine his basics. He mostly stuck with a few simple punches and kicks, with a few elbow strikes, knee strikes and even the occasional headbutt. Along with a few grapples if he needed them. There was that saying, 'Less is more.' To try and gain an extra advantage against Raven, he even started to learn how to wield his sword left-handed. It wasn't perfect, but he was now only slightly worse off with his undominant hand compared to his dominant.

Along with that, he still had a few regular spars with Gil. The old bear was starting to grow on him. Honestly, he could see him as a surrogate father figure. Or grandfather figure, but that would earn him a massive fist to the back of his head. Although, that had the consequence of him becoming his drinking buddy. That wasn't so bad though. Gil was a great guy when he wasn't testing you or trying to not embed his axe into your skull. And his tales of his time in the tribe were also amusing, especially after a few drinks were in him. Which meant, helping him back to his tent when he was drunk off his ass or stopping him from trying to beat a new blood to a pulp. He also had to be careful to not get too drunk either. The last thing he needed was to have a hangover with Raven's training routine.

He would also consider his Semblance all but mastered by now. He could easily call upon Distortion at a moment's notice. He could also channel it to any part of his body or multiple parts without much difficulty. It was a pretty useful ability. From the outside, it could deflect any attack that came his way. Or by focusing it with more aura, he could redirect the attack back at the person with twice the force. While on the inside, it would absorb any force he exerted, say a punch or kick, and amplify it. He even learned to release a large amount of Distortion at once for an 'ultimate' defense, but only if the situation called for it. The only downside to his Semblance was the massive aura drain it had. Even with his reserves and his Negative aura's property to absorb aura, he couldn't use it with reckless abandonment. If his aura was too low, that meant no Semblance and it would be harder for him to siphon more aura with his reserves weakened.

During that time, he started to go on raids with the other new bloods. Nothing too severe. Just attacking convoys or small settlements to gather supplies they needed. Jaune wasn't a hundred percent okay with this but he knew it was a 'necessary' evil. Again, this caused him to analyze himself. He never would've imagined doing something like this before meeting Raven. Or more precisely, unlocking his Negative aura. He figured out that since it grew stronger from negative emotions, that it also pulled those emotions to the surface. Since he had mastered his aura the negative emotions that used to dominate him; fear, depression, anger and hatred, had all been brought under his control again. Although, he was more apathetic now. He was more or less the same emotionally though. He just wasn't as naïve as before. But, he still refused to kill unless it was absolutely necessary. The weak would eventually die but that didn't mean he had to be the one to do it.

It was on one of those incursions that he found his hooded, black trench coat. Besides the fact that it had one of its sleeves torn off, it was in great condition. He tore off the other to make it sleeveless and when his group got back to camp, he went to a few members that could be deemed as tailors and they added the red markings that went from the upper part of his chest, to go over his shoulders and down his back to the end of it. Which he now wore every time he went out on missions.

Currently, Jaune was sitting in Raven's tent, like he did most nights, and was meditating. This was a necessity to keep his Negative aura in check. He could hear that Raven was kneeling a few feet in front of him and sharpening her blade. The sound of the whetstone scraping across her weapon was the familiar sound he'd hear while doing this. It was more calming than jarring now.

After being here for so long, he realized how strange it was for him to be in Raven's tent. Not many people were allowed there. But he was there more often than some of the senior members. Some of the other new bloods started to believe that Jaune was her consort or something. Although, they made sure to never say that too loud. Raven had a temper and they wanted their limbs still attached to their bodies.

Jaune personally found those rumors annoying. Raven was his teacher and he owed her a massive debt but that was all to their relationship. Not that he wasn't aware how gorgeous she was. He was dense, or used to be, not blind. If he was honest, her pale skin that contrasted with her black hair was amazing. And her red eyes were intimidating, but if anyone looked closure, they'd see just how beautiful they were. But, then again that could be a matter of preference. Would make sense since his whole family was some kind of blonde with blue eyes. Not to mention her physical features. Yang definitely inherited a lot from her mother, but she still blew her daughter out of the water every day of the week. At least in his opinion.

He realized his train of thought had gone on longer than it should've and her tried to clear it. But that was when Gil's teasings about Raven maybe wanting to bed him came back to his mind. He couldn't stop his cheeks from flushing. He gave an almost inaudible sigh while thinking, 'Damn it, Gil.'

"Jaune." Raven spoke up after a half hour or so of silence. Jaune opened his eyes to see her looking at him with an intense gaze. He was worried she somehow figured out what he was thinking until she continued speaking, "I didn't just call you here for your usual meditation session. I need to… discuss a few things with you."

That caused Jaune's mind to go to the gutters once again. 'Bad, Jaune, bad! Down!' He shouted in his head but tried to speak calmly, "Okay. What about?"

"You've been with us for a while now. Myself and the other senior members have noticed your growth and interactions with the other new bloods. And we've come to a unanimous decision, regarding your status here." With that, she allowed a silence to fill her tent and that put Jaune on edge. He had no idea on what to think or say, so he decided to let Raven continue when she was ready. Eventually, her emotionless mask fell, and she had a small smile, "We've decided to make you a leader of incursions. As long as there isn't a more senior member in your party, you are the leader. Congratulations, Jaune."

It took a second for what she said to register in his head. When it did, he gave a sigh of relief, "Oum, Raven, you had me worried there. I thought you were gonna have me killed for a second." He then gave her an appreciative smile, "Thank you for the honor. I won't let you down."

Raven just shook her head slightly, "You don't have to prove anything to me. You've done so again and again since the day you came here. You've shown everyone here just what you are made of. The only person you cannot let down, is yourself. Many more people are now relying on you now." She then gave him a coy smile, "Besides, it would take a lot for me to kill you. You've grown on me."

He just looked at Raven for a bit and nodded to her, not sure on what to say at the moment. "There is one more thing." She stood up and left her weapon sheathed on the floor. She walked over to the small table by her bed to pick up a smallish black case. She sat down where she was before speaking again, "I had this made for you a while back from a contact of mine. It seems fitting to give it to you now." She handed him the case and he opened it to show a black revolver with a red handle and trimming.

Jaune slowly reached for the gun and pulled it from the case. He felt the weight in his hand and it felt comfortable. Right, even. After all his time shooting, it seemed to fit perfectly. He smiled at this weapon. Besides his coat, this was the first thing that was purely his. His clothes and broadsword, even his tent, were given to him by the tribe out of necessity. But this was a gift from Raven and that made so much joy surge in his chest. He couldn't stop himself from doing what he did next.

He placed his gun back in the case before he set it on the ground. He then leant over and pulled Raven into a hug, shocking the Huntress. He felt her go rigid in his arms before he whispered to her, "Thank you so much, Raven."

After a few seconds, she relaxed and slowly wrapped her arms around him. "You're welcome." They eventually pulled apart and Jaune couldn't help but stare into her eyes. He wasn't sure for how long but when Raven cleared her throat, he came back to reality. "So, what will you name it."

Jaune turned to his new gun in its case. He thought about it for a bit and remembered how the older generations of Arcs used to name their weapons. He couldn't help himself and smirked as he answered, "Souffrance Eternelle."

Jaune was pulled from his memories when he heard the sounds of combat not even a quarter mile away. He quickly moved from sitting to a kneeling position in the branches. He pulled up his hood before placing his mask over his face as a precaution if it wasn't who he was expecting. Souffrance Eternelle was still in his left hand as he held the tree with his right hand.

It didn't take long before the team he was expecting ran into Shion. Sage and Sun were in the lead while Neptune and Scarlet were a few steps behind, firing into the horde of Grimm. They stopped in the middle of the ruined village as about two dozen Beowolves followed behind them.

Jaune watched as the four Huntsmen-in-training started to fight the Grimm. He started to analyze them before he decided to make himself known. Plus, if they couldn't take care of some Beowolves, they weren't right for Knightingale in the first place.

Sage was like an immovable wall. He would take the hits that the Grimm were dishing out due to his large reserves of aura before he'd end them quickly with his greatsword. Scarlet had a very peculiar style. He'd dodge the Grimm's attacks and then use his cutlass or flintlock to strike the most vulnerable spot to end them efficiently. The only odd part was his dodging, it was like he was skillfully reflexive but also clumsy at the same time. It was very unorthodox. Or maybe he was just lucky. Neptune looked like he preferred to keep his Grimm away from him with his ranged attacks but was skilled enough to take them down when they got close enough with his weapons guan dao or trident forms. Sun was the most impressive though. His fighting style allowed him to dodge the attacks easily and deal with them quickly afterwards with his weapon. Jaune smirked under his mask, 'They are good.'

They had pretty much dealt with the Grimm when he noticed movement on the roof of a destroyed building not too far from his position. He looked to see an Alpha stalking them on the rooftops and getting ready to pounce on Neptune from above, while he was still distracted.

As it jumped, Jaune used his aura to rocket off the tree. He quickly drew Tourmentage Tordu and as he intercepted the older Grimm, he impaled it through its right shoulder blade and out the left side of its chest, near where the collar bone would be. The force from his jump pushed them to the ground where he used the Grimm to break his fall. They slid across the ground and Jaune pinned it to the ground when they stopped, using his blade and right leg to stomp on its back. The Alpha tried to get back to its feet. So Jaune placed his revolver on the back of its head and fired. The Grimm died and started to evaporate into smoke immediately.

Jaune pulled his blade free from the corpse and turned to see SSSN staring at him, both in confusion, awe and fear. He simply sheathed his sword and holstered his gun at that. That appeared to have them calm down a bit. Sun then stepped forward with his hand in the air, "Yo, thanks for the save, dude! Otherwise, my partner would've been Grimm chow." He said with a smirk.

"Hey, I had that under control!" Neptune tried to defend himself while still trying to act cool.

Jaune just chuckled, "Still trying to act like the cool guy, huh, Neptune."

That shocked the four, especially Sun and Neptune since they recognized the voice. "No way…" Sun said in shock.

Jaune pulled down his hood before he took off his mask. Their eyes widened further as Jaune smirked, "Its been a while, you two."

"Jaune?" Sun asked in shock. "Is that really you?"

"In the flesh, Sun." he said a she stepped off the Grimm corpse. "So, are you shocked because you still thought I was dead or because you weren't expecting to be the ones to stumble onto Atlas' number one 'terrorist'?"

"So, it's true?" Neptune spoke up and he turned to look him in the eyes, even if they were separated by ten feet. "You actually did all that? Attacked General Ironwood, killed Goodwitch?"

Jaune nodded, "Yes. But to be fair, I did warn them to stay out of my way. They didn't listen, so I had to send a message. Not my fault they were slow learners. Not to mention, Ironwood was the aggressor in that instance."

"How can you just talk about that so nonchalantly?" Scarlet asked in shock and fear.

Jaune turned to him with a shrug, "A matter of perspective. They saw me as a broken man needing to be saved. Or as a dangerous psychopath that needed to be put down. Meanwhile, I saw them as skilled warriors that just followed a misguided leader and were too stubborn or scared to see things differently. So, they left me no choice."

"So, what? Are you planning to do the same to us?" Sage asked with an edge as he gripped his sword tighter.

Jaune shook his head, "No. I have an offer for you all and as long as you don't force my hand, I won't have to do that. Especially, considering you've been fighting Grimm and I'm still fresh." He waited a few seconds, none of them said anything or tried to attack him, so he continued. "There is a war being fought in the shadows. The Headmasters and a few others know about it. Its been going on for millennia. For now, we are at a slight standstill. But that won't last forever. If we don't act soon, humanity and Faunus-kind will lose. And the Grimm will own this world."

The shock on SSSN's faces was understandable, but he continued. "My wife, Raven, has found another option. With it we cannot only turn the tide of this war. We can win it. But to do that, we need allies that are powerful, and we can trust." Jaune held his hand out to them, "You four are strong and I know I can trust you with what's to come next. So, what do you say? Do you want to be used pawns in this twisted game of chess? Or do you wanna make a difference in this war?"

There was a deathly silence as the four men looked between each other and Jaune. Jaune stood there in the same position, waiting for their answer. Sun stepped forward slightly, "What will you do with the people who don't agree with you?"

Jaune answered in an apathetic tone, "Nothing. As long as they don't stand in my way, they can do whatever. But if they stand in my way, they will die."

"What about your old team and RWBY?" Neptune asked.

"I don't trust them, but they are free to do what they want. But they won't be killed. At least for the first time. I promised to save them once but after that all bets are off."

"How can you say that about them!?" Sun shouted. "They were your friends! When they thought you died…"

"They were devastated?" Jaune asked hollowly as he dropped his hand. "I don't care about that. They thought Jaune Arc was lower than garbage when he was alive. They didn't care that he died, just that they got someone killed because of their actions. And even if that isn't the case, I don't care. Jaune Arc is gone, end of story." He looked at them and sighed. "Looks like you've made your decision." He turned his back to them to leave.

"Jaune, stop!" Sun shouted. "We can't just let you leave. Atlas is after you, you can't run forever."

He looked over his shoulder with a smirk, "I don't plan to. And I'll say this again." He turned and drew his flamberge. "Don't force my hand."

That was all they needed to hear. Sage shot forward with a green shockwave behind him. He closed the space between them rapidly. Jaune instantly channeled Distortion through his sword and his fist. As their blades met, the ground behind Jaune shattered from the force of Sage's swing. Jaune instantly started to turn his body to the right as he swung his fist at Sage. He brought up his arm to block it, but it was too late. Jaune released both Distortions, using his strength and Sage's to send him flying into the remains of the building the Alpha was on a few minutes beforehand. Sage screamed as his aura took the hit. And as he broke through the wall of the building, it collapsed on top of him. Jaune wasn't fazed, he knew he still had aura to protect him. But that building may've used the last of it.

He turned back to see the remaining three members open fire on him. Jaune called his Semblance to cover his entire body to deflect all the shots in random directions. They stopped, and Sun quickly slammed his hands together to activate his Semblance. Two light versions of Sun appeared and ran towards him.

Jaune's Negative aura activated, and two black tendrils of aura shot out from his body. The tendrils impaled the clones in the chest and they stopped before acting like their real-life equivalent would by grabbing their chests in pain. Black veins/cracks started to spread across them before they flashed black and disappeared. The aura tendrils retreated into Jaune as he closed his eyes and he inhale deeply as he assimilated the temporary Semblance he just took. He opened his eyes to see they were stunned and Sun was on one knee from using his Semblance after fighting Grimm for most of the day. "Last chance." Jaune warned as he started to walk towards them.

That galvanized Scarlet to charge forward while Neptune stayed behind to guard their exhausted leader. Jaune met the wannabe pirate in duel of blades. Jaune would give it to Scarlet, he was skilled with a sword. But Jaune still had his advantage with his weaponry. Every time his flamberge met Scarlet's cutlass, vibrations were being sent up his arm, jarring it. While Jaune was siphoning aura from him to replenish the aura he had exhausted from using his Semblance earlier. Not that it was going too easily, Scarlet's 'unique' dodging made it extremely hard to land any hit that got past his blade.

Scarlet started to realize he couldn't out match Jaune with swordsmanship alone, so he aimed his flintlock at him. Jaune dodged to the side as the bullet raced past his head. As he was turning back, he drew his revolver once again. He was stopped when something wrapped around his handgun. He looked to see a grappler leading from Scarlet's gun was attached to his gun. Jaune continued to spin and connected a kick to the side of his head. Before he could get far, Jaune used the grappler to pull him back to land a second kick to send him to the ground.

Jaune managed to get Souffrance Eternelle free from his weapon before he started to bring down Tourmentage Tordu to slash him across his back. Before he could complete his swing, Jaune was forced to jump back from the shot of energy that was aimed at him. He looked to see Neptune firing more shots at him while charging him. Jaune avoided two of the shots before sending Distortion to his palm to palm strike the attack, sending it back to its owner.

Neptune jumped over it as he shifted his weapon to its guan dao form. He came down with an overhead slash but Jaune blocked it with his sword. He quickly aimed his gun at the bluenette before firing twice. The first shot bit into his shoulder but he twisted his body to disengage their weapons and to fall to the ground to avoid the second. Neptune than slashed with his weapon to try and sweep Jaune's legs but he just backflipped to avoid it.

When he landed, he aimed his revolver at the downed Huntsmen-in-training once again. But he was interrupted when a shot impacted his back. He looked over his shoulder to see Scarlet charging at him again. Jaune spun and their blades were locked once again. Neptune used the opportunity to shift his weapon into its trident form and stabbed Jaune in the back with it, he's aura stopping it from piercing his flesh. He screamed as electricity surged through his body. Jaune grit his teeth in both annoyance and pain before he sent Distortion through his body to send the S and N of SSSN skidding back.

Jaune used the reprieve to switch his Semblance from Distortion to the temporary Semblance, Via Sun. His hair started to glow black and a black light copy of himself manifested next to him. That stunned the three still standing members of SSSN. Jaune glared at Neptune before he charged him, while his clone charged at Scarlet. Scarlet's sword struck the clone's own blade but on contact, it exploded. Scarlet bounced off the ground a few times before he laid on the ground in a heap, barely conscious.

Jaune rapid fired the last three shots from his revolver before he holstered it. Neptune managed to barely defend himself with his weapon and before he could recover, Jaune was already on him with a flurry of slashes. Neptune was forced to slowly backtrack from the assault and he was feeling weaker from the vibrations being sent through him. Also, Jaune was still siphoning his aura because of their close proximity.

During that time, he missed Jaune shifting his sword to his left hand. Jaune knocked Neptune's weapon to the side with a backhanded swing before he drew Sommeil Eternel and fired. The bullet hit him in the chest, sending him back into the tree Jaune was in earlier and causing his aura to shatter along with dropping his weapon. He slumped against the tree and looked up at Jaune while in a daze.

Jaune just stared down at him before he turned to Sun, who was back on his feet. He had an angry yet determined look in his eyes. Jaune turned to him with his sword still in his left hand and his heavy revolver in his right. Jaune decided to give him one last chance. "You don't have to do this, Sun. I still consider you a friend and we can both walk away from this."

He just shook his head, "Its too late for that, Arc." His tone filled with rage.

Jaune glared at him, "It's Branwen, now."

The two stared at each other for a few seconds. A leaf from the tree fell between them and when it reached the ground, they took off. When they were halfway to each other, both created a clone in front of them and they charged forward. The clones met each other and exploded in a flash of yellow and black. The two charged through it and Tourmentage Tordu met Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang. Both were trying to overpower the other but with little success. They broke apart and attacked each other while holding nothing back. Staff strikes met sword slashes repeatedly with very few making it through the other's defenses.

Jaune aimed his heavy revolver at Sun but the Faunus used his tail to pull the hand away from him, missing the shot. Jaune tossed his gun into the air before he grabbed the tail around his wrist. He pulled and quickly caught Sun in the chin with a rising knee. Both released the other from the impromptu grapple and Sun flew backwards. He quickly backflipped back to his feet as Jaune caught his gun out of the air. He now had Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang in their gunchuck form. He reengaged the former blonde and fired a salvo of bullets with his strikes.

Luckily for Jaune, since he used the last of Via Sun, his Semblance defaulted back to Distortion. He quickly used it to deflect the bullets. Jaune holstered his gun and used Distortion to knock both weapons off his body. Jaune quickly held his sword two-handed and channeled his aura into the blade. He quickly slashed upwards with his sword and Sun had no way to defend himself. The blade bit into his aura and shattered it while leaving a cut across his chest.

Sun stumbled backwards before falling to the ground, but he still held onto his weapons. He just stared up to the sky, trying to find the strength to stand back up. His eyes shifted to his left as he saw Jaune kneel besides him. He had a sad look in his eyes, "I'm sorry, Sun. This wasn't personal." He then brought the pommel of his sword onto his forehead, knocking him out.

With Sun unconscious, Jaune sighed before he placed his hand on his chest. He quickly sent his aura into his body. It quickly started to follow the remains of his aura back to his soul. His whole body was quivering in pain due to Jaune's Negative aura entering his body. When Jaune's aura met Sun's soul, it started to slowly penetrate it. When that happened, Sun's back arched as a near silent scream escaped his mouth. He gave one final pull with is aura and Sun's body fell back to the ground.

Jaune took his hand away and in his palm appeared to be a black flame with a smaller yellow flame at its core. He closed his hand around it and closed his eyes, his aura shifted from black to yellow to black again. He opened his eyes and saw that Sun was breathing weakly, from his wound and what just happened to his soul. Without hesitating, Jaune raised his blade before he stabbed it through the Faunus' heart to end his suffering.

He removed his sword and wiped the blood away. He stood up but still looked down at him. He sighed, "Every war has deaths." He said to himself. He then pulled up his hood and placed his mask on his face. He turned away and was about to open a portal when he noticed that Neptune was looking at him in pure terror. He just look at him through his mask before he opened a portal and stepped through it, leaving the remains of SSSN broken.

A/N- Okay it has been entirely too long between updates and I apologize repeatedly for that. The reason this time was when I was working on the chapter, not this one but another, I realized that those events would fit better if I pushed it back a bit. So, I saved the partial chapter to work on later and had to come up with another chapter, completely from scratch. Plus, I had to rearrange a few plot points and events to make that decision work better. I hope you all understand, even though this has been happening more often that what I consider acceptable. With that, I apologize again and hope you'll all be patient with me. Hope you all enjoyed and I hope to see you all in the next update.