Multiplayer

by NeoShadows

Life is a game. In an attempt to save a friend during the Breach, Jaune Arc died. Brought back to life with powers of a Gamer, he must now attempt to beat the game called life. He's not alone though. Every win or lose ends in a Reset, so how will he beat a game that never ends?

29. Melody

So, here we are. After a year of reading we've finally made to Volume 1's Finale! The long wait has come to an end, only two stars remain for a show of strength. A battle for the definition of Hero.

Chapter 29 is the final chapter for Volume 1, this is a definite. Once this is over, I will be on break for two months, busy unwinding and working on several other projects that I've had in development for a while now. I'll say more on the details at the end of the chapter.

For now, let's get some reviews out of the way. We got a Volume to finish.

Sszjzohan: I'd be happy to talk with my fans. I'm actually going to put down my information for those who play Playstation 4 and Steam at the ending AN of the chapter. Always looking for people to game with!

Da Etan: I'm happy to have had you hang on this long with the story. Now its time to see the first volume off with one hell of a show!

Justjustin3099: Yeah, sorry about the tease. It was fun to make ya'll wait though, says my inner writer sadist. I had to cut it down, otherwise it would have been 50K+ and I know there were readers who didn't like the large word count. I think this works out though. But don't worry, it's all closing up now.

TheGamer24: Gracias, Amigo! Soy feliz que encantas mi estroria!

DragonManMax: Maybe, maybe not! The details on Tsuki's story won't be revealed this volume, friend. You'll just have to wait for the next volume. Though I'm sure you'll love the bit I have with Tsuki in this chapter. It seems you've come to really like the girl. You all really do love the OC's, huh? Awesome. Let's see if I can make you squeal one more time before we bring this volume to a close.

I'll get the whip.

Fellowman: I know right? Imagine if I focused the same amount of time and effort on my original works. I'd have an entire series by now! Which I should really think on.

Shadow: Sure, I'll set up a link soon. . . .As soon as I figure out how to do that. I ain't what you call tech savy. There's a reason why I was nicknamed Caveman after all.

TalonIbnAhad: DAMN, all that work gone like that? Can't say I don't know how that feels though. I once worked on a Fire Emblem Awakening story two years back and had finally finished the first chapter and begun work on the second one before publishing, when I lost all that work to my old laptop dying along with all that data. I was so bummed, I couldn't find it in me to write. . .and because I didn't have a laptop anymore. I got to say, it's good to see you again, amigo! I had a feeling you wouldn't review until you had a crazy, awesome oneshot completed. Again, sucks you lost all that work. But you can rebuild! And make them even better! I await inpatient for your tales because they are fun to read. Hell, you have my blessing to make your own series of crazy stories on Multiplayer on FF. I enjoy them that much. I like the little bit with Raven, Velvet Crowe, and Tsuki. Definitely something to think on for a DLC piece. Enjoy the chapter, amigo. Pop open a tequi-I MEAN PAT'S BLUE RIBBON, GOOD GENTLEMAN! Because we're just upstanding citizens, like the rest! There's no sombrero hidden away under the floorboards, or a small mexican dog barking loudly from the fridge! Until the next time I upload, my non-mexican patriot!

. . .VIVA LA REVOLUCION!

Lazylifeguard: Akuma, from Street Fighters? Not really, you know I never made that comparison. Funny when I think about it. And I ain't offended that my character wasn't based on anyone. I'm actually happy about that. I try to be as original as possible with my OC's.

That's the last of the reviews for now! Of course I'll be answering the next round of reviews when I upload again. Which again, I'll talk more of at the end. We're at 950 reviews currently speaking, let's see if ya'll can't pull out another fifty to bring this story to 1,000!

Oh, and stick around the Author's Note. I got a few surprises at the end. I do warn that it will be a long one.

---

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY, they belong to RoosterTeeth. Maybe one day I'll be the who's name people will be writing as they disclaim they're own fiction? I got my own stories in the making, original junk and all that jazz. But as a Fanfic writer, I know the kind of things people would be writing about my beloved characters.

I'm all for freedom of creativity and all that yadda-yadda, but I draw the damn line at all that garbage. You know the ones I'm talking, listing them would be more a chore and pain which I would like to avoid. Now, excuse me as I go back to my smut fics.. . .What? I said I draw the line, not that I'm a saint myself. Not with all these fine ladies around in anime. Just got to be careful of things like Eromanga-Sensie is all.

I'm god damn tired of Chris Hanseen and MI5 busting down my door because of one click! MI5 isn't even a United States organization, it's UK!

---

Chapter 29: Melody.

With a one final check of her supplies, Artemis Spriggan crossed off another item from her clipboard. While all the teachers were testing their students, she finally had some free time to herself. Unfortunately for her, she was still on the clock, leaving her to finish some business like stock inventory. For all the good aura did, she still found herself going through supplies like a normal school nurse. She supposed having shields over their bodies gave the students in training even more of an excuse to be reckless. Like a certain blond boy she knew of.

Taking one last look over her medicine cabinet, she turned around to see Jaune fixing his sword in its new sheath from beside the only bed in her office. She sat back against the counter top, looking over the boy she had once saved from death's door as he began to mumble to himself and play with his scroll in deep concentration. A smile made its way to her lips.

It was funny, not too long ago he was just some kid covered head to toe in frost and sniffling from the cold of the ice he had been broken out of. A boy who honestly looked out of place compared to his peers with that nervous glint in his eyes. Now though? The boy in her line of sight was looked increasingly the part as he fought tooth and nail for it. After all that he had gone through these past months, he was gaining some confidence in himself.

'Is it me, or did his shoulders get broader?'

The life she had saved was growing. And it made her happy.

Switching the last Ability and Skill into place, Jaune smiled confidently as he curled his fist with the adjusted energy flowing through his veins. After a short nap to recharge his batteries from Ozpin's odd tests, he had taken the moment to settle in a new set of powers for his final challenge. He had no idea what opponent would greet him when he made it to Combat Class, so he was going to have to go for a well-rounded move-set with flexibility. And since he had no idea whether or not his Soul Links would be available, he decided to leave his most used Link equipped, just in case. With everything looking good in his move-set department, he switched out his Regen Ring for his Long Nu earring for an added oomph to his attack power. Done with his adjustments, he turned to leave the room before stopping at the sight of Ms. Spriggan staring at him with a small smile.

"You okay, Ms. Sprig?" he asked in concern. This was the first time he had seen such an expression on the normally tired nurse.

Brought out of her musings, Ms. Spriggan shook her head.

"I'm fine. If anything, I should be the one worrying about you. You're raring yourself up for another fight, and I'm wondering if I'm going to have to set an ambulance on speed dial." she teased with a knowing look.

Jaune laughed weakly at the small jab. He was very well acquainted with the exhausted nurse's office after all the trouble he had walked through. It was to the point that she was no longer surprised to see him stumble in with some wound that his aura had trouble mending. But this time, things were different. When he thought about it, this was the first time he had been to her office since his trip to the hospital a month ago. Funny, he actually missed the nurses bed a bit.

With a firm resolve, Jaune gripped the blue hilt of Crocea Mors tightly as he looked back to Ms. Spriggan, "You won't have to worry about me again. I can promise you that I won't be needing medical attention this time. Besides, it's just a spar. What's the worst that could go-"

"Don't." Ms. Spriggan cut him off quickly with a flat glare, "No good ever comes from that sentence. Only misery, grief, and a round of 'I told you so's."

Especially coming from a boy like Jaune. He already attracted enough trouble as it was. No need tempting some other worldly force too.

Jaune shut his mouth. Even he realized how close to danger he had come.

"Gotcha. Anyway, I'll be fine. The only reason I'm even here is because of the Headmaster. The worst I suffered from that last challenge was a slash across my chest when my aura was low. And even that is all healed up." he grinned reassuringly.

Ms. Spriggan pouted, huffing as she turned her head up at him, "Oh? Is that so? I guess you no longer need this old thing. You're more than well off now, so you don't need to stop by to see yours truly. I guess I've outlived my purpose to you." she teased dejectedly, adding a trembling lower lip for affect.

Being the soft hearted, goof that he was, Jaune fell for the faux crocodile tears as he waved his hands around in a panic. When it came to women and their games, he was an A-grade sucker.

"It's not like that! I would have stopped by to say hello this month, but I was busy studying for my exams! Just because I don't need to see you when I'm hurt anymore, doesn't mean I'll stop seeing you! You're my friend! I just. . ." Jaune's flailing arms fell to his side, his face pained as he recalled how she had acted after his last near-death experience.

"I don't want to worry you anymore. I... I want to show you, and everyone else, that they don't need to worry about me anymore. I'm strong, stronger than I have ever been. So, there's no longer any need to worry about me because I can take care of myself now."

Somber blue eyes stared back at Ms. Spriggan which caused her to drop her teasing. What he had said made her scowl. She walked up to stand in front of him, idly noticing he was reaching her height as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Just because you're no longer walking in here with wounds, doesn't mean I'll stop worrying over you, nor will your little friends. The amount of strength you possess does not effect it. At the end of the day, you're still the same old idiot that came in as an ice sculpture." she chuckled amusingly as she flicked the faded scar on his forehead, "And there's nothing wrong with that."

Flinching slightly from the flick, Jaune smiled at her words as he rubbed the scar. Guess she was right in a way. A lack of strength or abundance of it wouldn't affect his friends. They would worry about him and his recklessness either way. Hard to believe he almost forgot about that.

"Right, I'll be sure to remember that." he said softly before heading for the door. Ms. Spriggan watched him reach for the door with a smirk.

"And I'll be sure to keep you to your word. I've actually enjoyed not having to work myself to the bone patching you up. Don't go ruining my relaxation, okay?"

Jaune nodded as he glanced back at the bubblegum pink haired woman, grinning like a dork as he left. He was going to have to remember to stop by and chat with Ms. Spriggan every once in a while. She meant more to him than a quick heal or place to buy healing items. She was another Bond he hoped to strengthen.

As the door shut behind the knight, Ms. Spriggan prepared herself to finish up her duties and clock out for the day. Other than Jaune, only a few students had stopped by for injuries that needed attending. And classes were almost over with. Surely, they didn't need her standing around doing nothing for the next hour? That was just wasting money. Already making plans for her well-deserved afternoon, Ms. Spriggan was suddenly stopped by the buzzing from her scroll. She frowned as she found a message from Ms. Goodwitch before sighing as she read the message.

Tending to students, she could understand. But tending to a certain sweet lover for a burned arm from accidentally setting off his weird Dust tattoos was another thing. God, she needed a drink.

---

Having gone through his preparations for his final test, Jaune went straight for Professor Goodwitch's class. Opening the doors to the combat class, Jaune was greeted to the sight of a match already in progress between two students. He sighed in relief. For a second he thought he was going to miss out on taking his exam. His scroll's clock told him that class was almost over with. Maybe he should have skipped out on that nap.

"Jaune-Jaune!"

The all too familiar bubbly shout brought a smile to Jaune's face as he found Nora run up to him. He threw up his hands warily, stopping the girl from outright knocking him back with a running hug. Stopping her as she pouted, he patted the girl's head as he caught sight of the rest of his friends heading over.

"Hey, guys! Did I miss out on your fights?" he said with an apologetic smile.

Ruby nodded her head with a grumble as she crossed her arms, "Yeah, you did! I was hoping to show you the neat trick I picked up with my semblance! But noooooo, someone had to go missing for three class periods doing who knows what without a word to his friends!"

Jaune frowned at that before pointing over to Ren, "No, I'm pretty sure I told Ren what I was up to and left it to him to tell everyone else. I would have told Pyrrha and Nora too, but they were still asleep when I left. Ren was up because he just came back from grabbing a drink at that time."

"I did tell them. Eventually." Ren shrugged as he yawned. His fight with Rue had drained him of a lot of energy and he wanted to do now was sleep, "But team RWBY doesn't know about your circumstances, remember? So, all I could tell them when they approached me was that you were busy doing something important with the school's blessing. They still don't know what you were really doing."

"And I would have told them what was going on, but I didn't think it was my place to say." Pyrrha explained as she sighed, "It's your secret after all. As silly as I believe it is. I would have thought you would have come clean about this to them by now. But it seems you still think that it's a big deal."

"I faked me way into Beacon, Pyrrha." Jaune said tiredly, "It's kinda a big deal."

"WHAT!?"

Jaune winced at the loud shouts from Ruby and Yang at the bombshell he just dropped. Well, that was one way of telling them.

Weiss stared at Jaune, unsure of how to react at what she had just heard. If she wasn't so graceful and well brought up, she would have cleaned out her ear for any dirt messing with her hearing. Because what she just heard was ridiculous.

"You… faked your way in." Weiss said slowly as Jaune became sheepish, "Would you care to explain what you mean by that?"

"Well, I may have gotten my hands on some transcripts, detailing my level of training and combat experience that were nonexistent, and got accepted into Beacon without ever taking any kind of exam like the rest of you." Jaune explained weakly with a nervous sweat. "You know, just maybe."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing." Weiss said softly, bewildered at what she had just heard. It didn't make any sense! This was Beacon for crying out loud! The pinnacle of huntsman academies, THEE huntsman academy on the continent of Sanus! How could a goofball like Jaune fake his way in? He wrote left and right underneath his combat books for crying out loud!

"Wait, why would you even need to do that?" Blake said in confusion after getting over her own shock, "I understand you weren't the strongest huntsman when you entered, but what you were capable of should have been enough to allow you to enter Beacon, let alone a Combat school. It doesn't make sense for you to lie your way in."

Jaune struggled to think about what to say next. Even Pyrrha and Nora were looking at him expectantly. He never really did tell them exactly why he needed to fake his way in. Luckily for him, the pass scar from his first life helped in situations like this. Coming up with a reasonable story, he began to explain.

"You all know about my scar, right?" he asked carefully, getting hesitant nods from the girls as he gestured to his chest, "Well, surviving a wound like that came with some complications. I was stuck in physical therapy for a few years while I recovered, unable to even go to school because of it. My body wasn't ready for training again like everyone else, so by the time I was cleared and allowed to even try and get into a school, it was too late." he said sadly as he gripped his chest, "I didn't know what to do at the time because I wanted to be a huntsman still. So, I saved up all my Lien to buy some transcripts to get into Beacon and trained by myself day and night to get where I am with my. . .mentor's training helping to make up for my shortcomings. I know it was wrong, and that I probably robbed someone of their rightful spot here, but I'm aiming to fix that."

"How?" Weiss asked out of curiosity. Fixing something like that wasn't simple.

"I'm making up the entrance exam right now. I told the Headmaster the truth after the FoF incident and he was understanding about it, even said I could make up for my lies with an exam he made up. I've actually just finished with one before stopping by Ms. Sprig's for a small check-up."

"So, what, you're an official student now?" Yang asked, still confused.

Jaune shook his head negatively with a sigh, "Not yet. All I have left is my combat exam before I'm officially a student. Otherwise, I'll be expelled for false documentation."

"Expelled?!" Pyrrha nearly shouted, "Don't you think that's a little extreme? You've been here for four months now. You helped stopped two terrorist attacks! Couldn't they just let you stay?"

"Don't worry about it Pyrrha. It's fine, I've already passed the last three tests. I'm more than confident that I can pass the last exam." Jaune chuckled as he rested his hand comfortingly on her shoulder.

Ruby nodded along with a bright grin. Hearing all that about Jaune didn't really mean much to her. Sure, she was a little shocked that her best friend had to fake his way into Beacon, but it didn't change the way she thought of him. He was still the same dork who lent his hand to a stranger.

"Jaune's got this! If it's a fight, he'll win. He's fought tougher guys before. And seeing as we've all finished our fights he won't have to face us, he'll wipe the floor with whoever he's facing!"

"See? Ruby believes in me." Jaune grinned before pausing and looking at the small reaper with suspicion, "Wait, what was that last part?"

"Nothing~!"

The sound of a round of applause broke Jaune's questioning glare. Turning back to the ring he saw that the current match ended with the victor helping up his opponent.

"Well, wasn't that an enjoyable match up? But though one stands over in victory, it does not mean the defeated has gained nothing. Not as long as they are willing to see progress in defeat." a cryptic voice chuckled as they stepped onto the stage from the shadows of the arena. To the surprise of everyone, Headmaster Ozpin came into sight instead of Ms. Goodwitch. And a usual, a hot cup of coffee was in his hand along with his scroll as he began conversing with the two huntsmen in training.

"Headmaster? What's he doing here?" Yang asked as the two students left for their seats. It was a little strange for him to be outside of his office. He didn't stop by class often.

Jaune had an idea, 'He's probably here to see the results of my fight. I would have thought Professor Goodwitch would be the one to do that.'

Coughing into his fist to get his students attention, Ozpin greeted them all with a small smile as he tapped his cane with an audible tap, "Good afternoon, students. Now, I know you all must be wondering why I am here when Ms. Goodwitch is the one normally teaching. And to that I must say that she is currently busy with a little matter she needed to take care of. But worry not, I've volunteered to supervise the last match of the day. You've all had a long day of work and fighting, so I'm sure you're all eager to go back to your dorms, eat, and enjoy the rest of the day." he said with a chuckle before sipping his coffee and bringing up the final match.

The giant screen above the arena began to spin two separate profiles like a roulette of characters before the first one came to a stop.

Jaune Arc.

'Saw that one coming.' Jaune thought as he awaited the second profile to stop. Whoever it stopped on would be his opponent, the one who would get in the way of becoming an official huntsman in training. He took in a deep breath, calming his nerves as he readied himself. He was in this to win it. He'd come this far, there was no way he was going to make it all go to waste.

The roulette profile slowed down, coming to a full stop for all to see.

Helios Lyre.

Jaune grew uneasy as he stared up at the smug, grinning profile of the red-haired musician. Helios, of all people? He grew nervous as his ears picked up a satisfied chuckle from down below the aisle. He caught Helios as he stood from his seat with an eager grin. He then frowned as he noticed Helios roughly push away Hera's hand from his arm. The musician turned his eyes up, catching Jaune's immediately before his grin grew a dark glint.

The second Jaune's eyes caught Helios, the knight was able to once again make out his aura raging around his body like a wildfire. It was unstable, out of control compared to the many auras in the background. Even worse, the red aura had grown darker and gave off an air of malevolence. Every step that Helios took on his way over to him made the dark aura grow clearer.

'Is this the Clear Sight thing Husk unlocked?' It must have been. It explained what he was seeing. Husk had said he had shown signs of being capable of it despite not maturing it like the others. What he was seeing now matched what he had glimpsed a month ago before Helios had left on his mission.

Shutting his eyes for a moment, Jaune called off the Clear Sight as his vision returned to normal. Helios stepped up to him, his hands shoved in his school pants like some delinquent as he sneered at the blond.

"Nice to see ya, Arc. Been a while, hasn't it?" he smiled brightly with an underline aggression, "So glad you finally made it to class. Wouldn't want you missing out on all the fun we're about to have. I can't tell ya how long I've been waiting to take a crack at you in front of a large crowd!"

"It's good to see you too, Helios. But," Jaune frowned as he took a closer look at the rocker. Bandages were wrapped around his face and underneath his Beacon uniform. It looked like he'd recently been patched up after a big fight. "Are you sure you're fit to be fighting? You don't look alright." It almost looked like he had been burned all over.

Helios scoffed as he looked away from their worried eyes. Damn punks, looking down at him, thinking he was weak! His fist balled in anger at the thought as he visibly gritted his teeth.

"I'm perfectly fine, good enough to kick your phony ass around." he growled, "Who you should be worrying about is yourself after all. I can't say that I'll go easy on ya, nor that a bone or two will be broken. You're a strong guy after all, so I'm going to have to give it my all."

"Was that a threat?" Blake scowled as she recognized underlining tone.

Helios laughed, "No, it's a precaution, a warning between classmates! And if he's so worried about a few little boo-boo's then he should just surrender before stepping into the ring. Which I know he won't." he smirked as he stared into Jaune's eyes, "Because warriors, heroes, don't back down from a fight, or the spotlight."

"Mr. Lyre, Mr. Arc! Would you both please prepare yourself for your match. Come along now, we don't want to keep the audience waiting."

Scoffing, Helios turned away from the first years as he began to make his way down to the locker rooms. He was done talking. All that needed to be said now were the sounds of a roaring crowd cheering his name. The so-called Rookie Hero would fall today.

"Okay, seriously, what is that guy's problem?" Yang growled in annoyance as her eyes trailed the older student's back. Since day one, the guy had been nothing but a jerk to JNPR's leader. As if Jaune did something wrong long ago to create a festering grudge. That just wasn't right, hell it was unhealthy.

Jaune sighed as he shrugged his shoulders, just as lost as the rest. From what he gathered, Helios simply didn't like him because of all the attention he had been gathering since the FoF and because of the long forgotten blood of heroes in his viens. But clearly there was more to it. Scratching his head, he decided that thinking on it wouldn't get him anywhere. This was his last exam, his chance to earn his place in Beacon officially. Right now, he had to focus on his mission. Not another problem.

"I'll find out later. Right now, I got to get down there. This is the last fight of the day after all. I want to get this over with so we can all head back." he said with a grin before leaving down the aisle steps.

Reaching the bottom of the aisle, Jaune was ready to head over to the arena before something had caught onto the sleeve of his combat jacket. Confused, he turned his eyes around to find a short chestnut-haired girl looking down with a shadowed expression.

Hera bit her lip, struggling with what she wanted to say before speaking.

"Jaune," her voice couldn't stop trembling as she gritted her teeth. Seeing the normally brash girl look so weak and vulnerable stunned Jaune.

"Please, go easy on him."

Jaune was speechless at the request. Easy on him? Why? They were supposed to fight, he couldn't exactly hold back. Especially when his opponent was a second year with more experience than him. Plus, he wasn't sure Helios would allow such a thing. Going easy on him would only handicap him.

Sighing, Jaune felt awkward as he had to decline. He had to win, if he held back he wasn't sure he would be able to prove his worth to Ozpin.

"I don't think that's an option, Hera. I know Helios must really want to win, and losing would be a dent to his pride, but I can't hold back. Besides, he's pretty tough. I've seen him fight before, so I know he doesn't need me holding back with him." he said reassuringly with a small smile. He moved his hand to the short girl's arm still gripping his sleeve, only to be taken back as her small hand refused to be pried off.

His heart sunk as her blue eyes looked back at him, vulnerable and glistening with tears that made her feel more ashamed than she already did. She did the one thing she hated.

She begged.

"Please, he's not himself right now. And I knew that if he were to ever fight you like this," she gestured to the crowd of students watching, with some of them even recording with their scrolls to share with others later, "he would only sink further into whatever negativity was plaguing him. He's become obsessed with winning and showing off his power lately, doing whatever he can to prove that he's a hero. And he's been going too far, not caring about the consequences, even if they mean others getting hurt. It's gone to the point his aura won't even heal him." her fingers dug deeper into Jaune's sleeves, making her feel more ashamed as her nails nearly punctured his arm from her semblance acting up. Jaune fought the grimace from the pain as he looked back softly at the troubled second year girl.

"Please, I don't want my friend to lose himself. I don't want to see him suffer anymore."

Jaune opened his mouth, ready to say something, but found himself interrupted by the sound of a tap on the speakers above.

"Mr. Arc, would you please step up to the ring? We don't have all day now. You can save your flirting for later, right now you have a fight to begin." Ozpin said mirthfully over the speakers, getting a small round of chuckles from the students.

With a grudging sigh, Jaune moved back from Hera. The girl dropped her hand from his sleeve, looking down in regret as she noticed the tear in his combat hood and the sight of a red substance trickling down his fingers.

She did it again. Her damned semblance had activated without her knowledge and hurt someone. She hadn't changed a bit since she first stepped onto Beacon. Just a burden who could only destroy.

"He'll be fine."

Snapping her head up, Hera found Jaune's back as he looked towards the arena. He turned his head a bit to give her a small smile.

"Helios is your friend, so you got to believe that he's strong enough to not be controlled by whatever is running through his head. If he really wants to be a hero, then he should know that heroes don't fight for themselves, they fight for others. And if he's forgotten that, then it's just a matter of smacking some sense into him! So, I'll be sure to remind him of that in your place." he grinned before running for the stage.

Watching Jaune leave, Hera was left with a sense of foreboding.

Why didn't that make her feel any better?

---

Breathing deeply, Jaune rested his right hand on the hilt of Crocea Mors as he stood by waiting for his opponent in the center of the arena. Headmaster Ozpin stood by him, sipping his coffee calmly as always. Unaware of the underlining tension in the air, or perhaps aware and not simply caring.

'What am I supposed to do now? It's not like Hera's wrong, there is something wrong with Helios. What I'm guessing is my Clear Sight picked up on that. His aura is out of whack, darker than normal. It… it reminds me of Ren.' Images flashed through his mind of his fellow Player Falling two months ago, causing the growing frown on his face to deepen.

Falling, a condition that fell onto a huntsman or huntress while under extreme negativity. They would become beacons of overflowing negativity, drawing in droves of Grimm like sharks to blood. And the only way to stop them, would be through death. Something Jaune had understood very well.

Helios did not like Jaune, he had even gone as far to say he hated him. If there was one thing Jaune understood, it was that the rocker's emotions would only worsen if he were to lose to him. Especially with so many people watching their fight. If that were to happen, he was sure that it would be enough to drive Helios past the edge and Fall. And Jaune wasn't sure he would be able to fix him like he did Ren. Not with Helios's status as an NPC incapable of reviving.

Ozpin raised a curious brow as he heard a worn out, tired sigh escape Jaune's lips.

"Problem, Mr. Arc? I would have thought you would be excited for this fight. It's always fun when rivals clash with one another like this. I believe it's the only way they can convey each other's true feelings." he said.

Jaune scratched his neck in frustration, "It's complicated. I don't think you can call what's between Helios and I a rivalry. He hates my guts. Besides," his eyes found another set of blue in the crowd of students watching them with concern, only making the lump in his stomach grow heavier, "There's something wrong with Helios. I don't think it's a good idea for him to be fighting me as he is. I'm afraid he might. . ." Jaune couldn't say anymore, afraid that revealing Helios status would only make things more complicated.

Win, lose, whatever happened in this match, would not end in a positive note. And it was killing him.

Seeing the concern in the young boy's face, Ozpin chuckled as his sights turned for the other side of the ring. A figure could be seen making their way over, radiating an odd aura that very few could sense.

"As I said, only through fighting can rivals reach each other. Especially one so hot headed as Mr. Hyperion."

Jaune blinked as he spun his eyes towards the calmly sipping headmaster.

"Hyperion?" Wasn't Helios name Lyre?

"Did I? Excuse me, I must have accidentally let that slip." Ozpin drawled with a loud sip of his mug, "But that matters little right now. You have a fight coming towards you. And you must prove to me your strength. I'll be honest, all those tests before you were nothing more than filler in the long run. Something to keep you occupied while your real test was prepared." he said sternly as he turned to face the young blond knight.

"I know your intelligent, resourceful, able to endure the most difficult challenges, and strong enough to fight the good fight. But what I wish to see, what I need to accept you into my academy, is Strength. One rarely found in those who've chosen the path of a warrior. And I believe that only through this specific fight will I be able to see that show of power. There's a lot more riding on the results of this fight than just your status of student after all."

Patting Jaune's shoulder, Ozpin turned to leave as Helios stepped onto the arena stage. The old headmaster glanced back, his eyes finding the wild red ponytail mane of Helios and the smug prideful look in the boy's eyes.

And the black twisting wisps corroding his aura.

'I truly wish that you show me that power, Mr. Arc. I would hate to lose two of my children today.'

Now on the center of the stage, before a large crowd of Beacon's first, second, and even a few third years, Helios could no longer contain his excitement. His body was trembling, ready to spring into action and show them all who the true star of the show was. It had taken him a few minutes longer to prepare, but it was more than worth it to keep them waiting for the performance he was about to reveal. It was just too bad his armor had been damaged in his fight with the Alpha Griffon, now he was just left with his combat gear sans armor pieces. But that was fine, he didn't need the extra protection.

From his back, a large guitar case designed after a funeral case was dropped standing up in front of him. The case swung open with a tap, revealing an odd weapon, completely different from the familiar ax guitar Jaune had seen Helios use regularly. Inside was a glaive the size of Helios with a burning orange curved blade designed after spewing flames. Its polearm was black and revealed what looked to be guitar-like strings running from its blade to the pommel. Odd little nubs were seen on the wide blade.

Helios smirked as he caught Jaune eying his weapon, "You like? I had it designed months ago to replace my original Hades Styx. Gotta hand it to Professor Kusanagi, the man can make a helluva weapon! And it goes great with my latest addition to my arsenal that I picked up on my last mission." he grinned wolfishly as he kicked his casket. From the top of the case, five blades sprang out from its corners into the air. Helios snatched his weapon, fixing its strap over his neck as he adjusted the frequency on his guitar glaive before playing a few notes. Some unknown force caught the blades, revealing their designs to all. The thin swords had no hilt on their silver metal bodies, it was single edged and only displayed a rectangular gap at the end of it to wield. Five holes could be seen along its blade, vibrating its body slightly under the control of the melody playing from Helios' strings.

Ending his small tune, the five swords fell to the stage with loud thuds as they dug deep into the floor. They must have weighed quite a lot to do that.

The grin on Helios face grew wider at the stunned expression on Jaune's face, and the other students.

"How do you like it? My Semblance, telekinesis by music! I call it, Symphony! With it, and Hades Styx, you don't have a chance! Even that gifted Summoning semblance won't be able to stand up to the beats I'm about to put out! So, be ready for the performance of a lifetime!" he laughed loudly with his aura once again flowing out like fire in Jaune's eyes.

A dark red hint grew in Helios's yellow eyes, the rocker's face becoming shadowed as his grin grew sharp like an animal's snarl. The large screen above their heads came to life, displaying their auras to everyone as a timer appeared between the two. The timer changed, changing its design to an infinite loop to display there was no time limit. Their fight would only be over by defeat.

'Helios Lyre, The Fallen Star of Hyperion.

27,500HP/27,500HP.'

'WARNING, WARNING, WARNING! Boss, Incoming! Helios Lyre, The Fallen Star of Hyperion. Get Ready!'

Jaune gripped the hilt of his sword tightly as he felt the overflowing negativity Helios was producing. This was bad. It seemed it had only increased in density from before. Helios was growing drunk under its influence, he could see it in the musician's eyes. And it was only going to grow worse as they fought. With the condition Helios was in now, Jaune had only one choice. He had to end this quickly. If he could knock him out before he was completely taken over by the Fallen status, then they could get him some help before it was too late.

Taking in a deep breath, Jaune readied himself as Helios began to strum a few notes on his glaive. The five swords rose up under his tune, floating above him with glinting edges ready to tear about their foe. Jaune moved Ignis Mors onto his forearm, releasing its shield as he swung Crocea Mors to his side.

'The Clockwork Exam, FINALE!

Strength.

Information: A test of Strength. One on one. Defeat your opponent. Win.

Links Disabled, Spells restricted.

No Optional Objectives.'

Guess there was nothing more that needed to be said at this point. This was a fight, plain and simple. The only language acceptable here was the language of steel and fists.

Ozpin stood by, scroll in hand as begun the match while a silence fell over the classroom. He cleared his throat and rose his hand up in the air before dropping in in a signal.

"BEGIN/FIGHT!"

Helios' fingers could no longer stop themselves as they began to strum the strings of Hades Styx madly with fever. His head moved along with the wild beat, bobbing up and down as his five Styx's spun around him before flying after Jaune. They cut through the air with ease, intent on stabbing through his body under the rocker's melodies. Jaune went on to dodge the blades, jumping to the right to avoid all five before finding them curving in their flight to come back at him. Again, and again, he danced around the deadly blades, evading them however he could as they pursued him with an endless vigor. He ducked under one coming for his head, deflected two for his chest with Ignis Mors, jumped a step back as two more dropped down to stab him from above, and stopped in place with a pant as all of them paused to float above him with their points aimed below.

Helios stopped playing, allowing the blades to fall back down like meteors that whizzed in the air. Jaune dashed out of the way, missing the heavy blades as they struck the ground like iron slugs. Helios dashed after Jaune, not bothered with the fact that his attack missed. His guitar glaive trailed behind the rocker with its blade grinding against the tiles. The musician grinned madly as he sped up, barreling into Jaune to deliver a sparking rising slash. Jaune moved quickly, stopping in time to raise his shield, and block the monstrous slash. Even with the added protection of Ignis Mors, he still found his HP taking a 600 dive.

Not done with his attack, Helios followed the rising slash with a downward chop that dealt more damage. He didn't stop there, hammering his assault like a wild man, all while laughing in joy at seeing the so-called Rookie Hero could only block. Was this all he could do? How pathetic!

Growing tired of defending, Jaune sucked in a breath before roaring as he parried another swing for his shield. He took Helios by surprise as the rocker's glaive was bounced back, leaving him open as Jaune reared his shield back and spun his shield around to face its point with his knuckle. The edges of the heater shield burned as he crossed his shield and sword over his chest before dealing a cross slash on Helios' chest, sending him back with a grunting shout. Helios gritted his teeth as he held his chest from the burning metal.

He chuckled deeply as he ignored the small pain, "Got some new tricks on ya, huh? Looks like you even upgraded that old rusty shield you used. Nice." he smirked before moving Hades Styx into a different position. He gripped the polearm tightly as he aimed the spiked pommel at Jaune before flipping a switch on its handle. A trigger suddenly popped out in his hand and the pommel's sharp point clicked as it parted to reveal a gun barrel.

"But I got more tricks than you could keep up with!"

A continuous fire of bullets shot after Jaune as he began to outrun the gunfire. Helios honed his sights on the evading blond, firing every round in his magazine in hopes of scoring a hit. Growling, he ceased his gunfire and dashed towards Jaune with his glaive reared back. Jaune moved his shield to block, only for Helios to throw the weight of his glaive to the right, allowing the force of it to carry him and slide him around Jaune faster than he could react. Helios grinned as he swung with all his might and threw Jaune up in the air with a heavy upward swing. The blow stunned Jaune but with his Skill from Sky, he was able to recover in the air and attack.

"Point of Eruption!" Facing the deadly point of Ignis Mors forward, the small jets by its sheath flared and sent him shooting back down amid the gunfire from Helios's Hades Styx. He endured the bullets smacking into his aura and slammed his heated shield point after his opponent. The ground was blown apart by a human sized plume of flames and smoke, devouring both of them in a black smoky veil. Through the smoke, Helios jumped back out with a gasp as he fell back on his feet in a skid. He flinched as he held his chest, the burns, and multiple wounds he had suffered the other day flaring up after the near direct hit. Damn blond, he wouldn't let him land one more hit!

"Activate Skill, Reload! Point of Eruption!"

The curtain of smoke was blown away, leaving Helios standing stunned as Jaune rocketed straight for him with a blazing shield strike as flames flared behind his shield like rockets. Thinking quickly, Helios swung Hades Styx for cover, only to curse foully as Jaune came in too hot. The downside to his new weapon was the weight it carried, it wouldn't allow for quick blocks it appeared.

'Fucking damn it!'

The blazing point of Ignis Mors stabbed into Helios' gut, ripping through his blood red mesh shirt as he gasped in pain. His breath was robbed in one hit. The force of the attack sent him flying as another plume of fire engulfed him.

'Hmm? Huntsman? My dear child, such barbarism is uncouth for our blood! The life of a savage, fighting for coin by slaughtering monsters is not in your future. A Hyperion is noble, clean, respectable, and rich! You wouldn't last a day in their world. So-'

Slamming down Hades Styx into the floor, Helios grounded his flight to a halt as the flames and smoke slowly blew off his body. He panted, fighting the burning sensations over his body as he glared hatefully at Jaune, his sights overlapping the image with someone else.

'Stop listening to that ditzy woman and focus on your name. You are a Hyperion, branded by our blood to lead this company one day. Stop dreaming of fairy tales and focus on your destiny.'

That damn voice! That fucking, damned, overfed, arrogant, lard filled, voice! Well, he'd show him, he'd show them all! The name Hyperio-NO! LYRE! The name Lyre was the name of a hero!

The red aura around Helios began to twist maliciously as Jaune's Clear Sight caught the rise in negativity. Something was wrong, it was progressing rapidly, dying Helios's aura a once simple red to a dark blood red.

'I was hoping that direct hit would be enough to knock him out. At this rate, Helios will Fall. And then what?' Jaune bit his lip as he watched Helios begin playing Hades Styx. There was only one way to stop a huntsman from Falling.

Death.

"D-Don't get cocky, Rookie!" Helios spat as his five swords flew above him. Lining them up, he stopped his rift and allowed them to fall around him in a pentagon pattern before turning up the frequency of his guitar.

"This show ain't over! We're still on the opening act! So, don't go thinking you got this in the bag, because I ain't going down like a little bitch!"

A sharp whine filled the air as Helios strummed his guitar, playing his own made up melody. The five blades that were dug into the ground trembled, resonating with the high frequency before releasing a ripping blast of sonic waves from all corners. Jaune went on the move, evading the first sonic blast, and watched it continue its path of destruction to crash against the shields of the arena. Following the beat of Helios guitar riffs, the blades continued to fire blast after blast of sonic bursts. Dodging another blast, Jaune reared his blade back and fired a Crescent Blade after the motionless red head.

But with the high frequency of Helios Hades Styx, the very air around him rippled with a dome of sound immune to himself. The white crescent may have flown past the sonic blasts, but it could do nothing as it was ripped to shreds by the sound around him. Seeing Jaune left wide open after his failure, he blasted him with a blast of vibrations.

Bobbing his head along with his metal beat, Helios paused his strumming to raise his hand up high in the air. He grinned madly as he dropped his hand, releasing a high note from his glaive guitar. The five blades whined, releasing together a widespread sonic circle.

Jaune knew he wouldn't be able to dodge an attack like that. So, he flung Crocea Mors high into the air just before the ring of destruction struck.

"Warp Strike!"

Warping over to his airborne blade, Jaune was able to evade the wide attack just in the nick of time. With Crocea Mors in hand again, Jaune channeled the ancient blade with magic as it begun its transformation, "Teres Mors! Coil!"

Faster than Helios could react, a barbed green vine shot for the neck of his weapon. The vine coiled like a snake, refusing to let go even as he pulled at it with all his strength. Suddenly, he felt the vine tug, alerting him to Jaune flying down after him. Dirty, fucking-!

"Power Strike!" With the vine of Teres Mors acting like a bungie rope, Jaune was sent shooting after Helios with his rose themed short sword ready. With a forward stab, he drove Helios back on skidding feet from the ramming blade. The blood red aura around him raged, reacting to the spike of anger from the direct hit. Jaune didn't have much time left, Helios' aura was only growing stronger. Looking back to the crowd of cheering students around them, he noticed a few of the more observant huntsman in training frowning.

It was becoming visible. The darkness over Helios' heart. He needed to be stopped before it was too late.

Moving his sword back, Jaune summoned a sparking yellow crystal from his Inventory before slamming it over his short blade.

'Teres Mors, Augmented!'

Sparks crawled over the blood red blade, granting it Lightning damage and a chance to inflict Paralysis along with a boost from his special sword.

'I can't let Helios continue on like this, but I also can't lose. A knock out win is the only solution. If I can paralyze him and get one good hit in, one enough to knock him out cold, then not only will I pass my test but he can get the help he needs.' It was the best plan of action right now. Jaune already knew for a fact that talking with Helios wouldn't get him anywhere. It would be Ren all over again. Besides, he couldn't waste any more time. The longer this fight lasted, the more at-risk Helios became of Falling.

Pain lanced along Helios' arms and he noticed the reddening bandages covering his forearm. He snarled as he grabbed a hold of them and tightened them with his free hand and teeth. Like hell some stupid wounds would hold him back now! The sound of the cheering crowd began to irritate him, knowing that they were applauding the blond knight. The one who was always grabbing their attention.

'The name Hyperion will not be known as some foolish warrior! Stop fighting me, and listen!'

"Fucking idiots. Where the hell are you fuckers looking at?" he hissed venomously as his aura began to ebb out for all to see. He swung his glaive to the side, displaying impressive strength as he held it up before his aura began to coat its blade. The wide blade gained a dark red hue, appearing like it was covered in licking flames as he reared it further back with a roar.

"THE TRUE STAR OF THE SHOW'S RIGHT HERE! KNOW IT!"

From the roaring swing, a blade of twisted aura flew out after Jaune, carving through the arena floor like a hot knife through butter. It was fast, grazing the knight's shoulder even as he tried to dodge it. Blood sprayed out of the wound as it began to bleed heavily before he clutched the wound with a grimace.

'Jaune Arc, Heart of The Gamer.'

5,355HP/8,800HP[Bleed].'

The graze dropped 5% of his health as he winced. That wasn't a good sign. Without being able to use his healing items, he wouldn't be able to heal the Bleeding status. He was just going to have to wait for his Perk, Blood Oath, to kick in.

"I ain't done yet! Eat lead, bitch!"

Aura augmented bullets quickly followed as Jaune dropped his hand from his shoulder and activated Gale Speed. With the spike of high speed, he blurred in Helios' sights as he outran his automatic gunfire. All Helios could make out were blond blurs all around him that further pissed him off.

'One of you bitches is enough! Now he can make more of himself? What kind of ninja bullshit is this?!'

"Hyper Blade!"

With Gale Speed ending, Jaune followed up the Ability with his next best speed type ability. Evading the mad bullets whizzing by his body, Jaune appeared in front of Helios with a downward slash. The red head rocker flinched and stumbled back from the slash before moving his glaive back for a counter swing. He heaved the heavy weapon, but lost his footing as Jaune blurred and appeared behind him with another slash. Over and over again, Helios found himself being knocked around on his feet by a raid of lightning fast swings. His already wounded body was wounded further as his aura began to lose its strength, allowing one of the slashes to lacerate his chest with a diagonal red line.

"BACK THE FUCK OFFFFFFFFFFFF!" Helios raged before releasing a high note from Hades Styx. A burst of vibrations erupted out from his weapon, distorting the air as Jaune was blown back from the shock wave. With an open hateful snarl Helios followed his attack by sending his swords shooting after the staggered blond. Jaune wasn't able to recover in time as the swords drilled into him. The first three bounced back, hitting him like slugs. But the last two broke through his aura. One gashed his side and the other one had sliced open the side of his right leg. He nearly fell as his blood began to flow like water onto the damaged arena.

"JAUNE!" Both Ruby and Pyrrha yelled out loud in alarm as they watched the fight. This was getting out of hand. They were seeing an alarming amount of blood for a simple sparring match.

Yang scowled as her fists balled up before turning her eyes to the headmaster watching by from the sides, "Headmaster Ozpin, don't you think you should stop the fight now?"

Quirking a brow curiously, Ozpin looked back to Yang before pointing out to the screen above the stage.

"The fight is still not over, Ms. Xiao Long. And while I know it may look a bit extreme, I can't stop the match unless it becomes obvious who will emerge the winner, or the other threatens the others' life. Besides," he said with a sip of his mug as he watched Jaune parry one of the swords flying back for a stab, "I don't believe either one of them would stop if I did end the match."

Gripping the open wound, Jaune fought through the pain as his aura began to mend the open flesh. While his HP couldn't regenerate while in battle, his wounds would at least fix themselves up as long as his aura was still intact. That was relieving.

But he wasn't the only one bleeding. Helios was breathing heavily, panting from exertion as blood dripped down his trembling fingers and small sparks ran around his skin. The bandages over his face were tearing off from constant movement and the ones visible over his body were dirtied by fresh and old blood. He wasn't in any shape to be fighting. Still, he found himself laughing out loud at the sight of Jaune's spilled blood splattered around the arena.

'What could you ever hope to possibly accomplish? Your blood wasn't bred for combat! Your blood is rich, promising a life of glamor. Not bloodshed and death. Such is the future of savages!'

"And they say heroes don't bleed." he barked with laughter before grinning darkly as his shaking fingers went back to the strings of Hades Styx, "Come on, don't tell me that's all you got?! Show me what you're made of, show me why they call you Rookie Hero, show me how you're able to steal the spotlight!" he shouted as his blades followed the melody of his glaive guitar. They danced in the air, aiming to chop Jaune to pieces as he struggled to dodge with his current wounds.

"Someone gifted with the blood of warriors should be able to keep up with a lowly warrior! Don't you have the Arc bloodline in your veins? Weren't they known as the name of warriors long ago? SO THEN WHERE THE HELL IS THAT POWER IN YOUR VEINS!?"

The swords under Helios' control gained dark red hues before they stabbed themselves onto the arena floor. They then began to run through the floor, carving sparking lines as they chased after Jaune with the intent to cut him in half. From five corners, they closed in on him as he stood by with a shadowed expression. He gritted his teeth in frustration before gripping Teres Mors above his head with both his hands. A glimmering red stone fell out from his hands, falling onto the ground with a twinkle.

"I'LL TELL YOU WHERE IT IS, IT'S IN THE PAST WHERE IT SHOULD STAY BURIED! SO WHY DON'T YOU DIE ALONG WITH YOUR FAMILIES NAME!"

"Arc Impact!"

Teres Mors shone brightly, transforming back into Crocea Mors' long blade before it was stabbed into the ground with monstrous force that visibly rippled. The Fire Dust crystal shattered under the steel point, erupting flames before a shock wave from Crocea Mors caused the flames to augment into a dome of distorted air engulfing Jaune with flames. The five swords that closed in were met with the shock wave dome of flames before being blown away. Cracks splintered along the holes that allowed vibration before they shattered into pieces.

Helios moved his arm over his face as a strong wind of heated air and smoke blew back against him. Did the idiot blow himself up? What kind of moron does that?

"Activate Skill, Kindle!" Parting the flames with a wave of Crocea Mors, Jaune glared back at Helios with small embers growing along his clothing. The damage he would have taken from the erupting flames were then converted as the small flames were absorbed into his aura, healing 700HP. His Strength was than upped by 5% as he vanished with a blur, leaving Helios on edge as his eyes searched the area.

"Point of Eruption!" Zig-zagging with his high speed in-between steps, Jaune drove the point of Ignis Mors deep into Helios stomach, just as before. He sent the musician flying back before Helios righted himself on his feet with a snarl, only to frown as Jaune was nowhere to be seen. He looked up, stepping back in alarm as he found Crocea Mors thrown up in the air before Jaune warped to his sword's location. He then watched as the blond flung his fist back behind him as flames flared from its sheath.

"Reload! Point of Eruption!"

Riding on the recoil and explosion of the ability, Jaune shot off after Helios with his feet smacked together. Helios scoffed, readying himself to dodge in the nick of time. He suddenly grunted in surprise as his body refused to move an inch, gone numb as the sparks on him began to affect him.

Helios's eyes went wide in anger and frustration as he tried in vain to move a single muscle, "No, NO! I can-"

"POWER STRIKE!" With the Paralysis in effect, Jaune was free to drive a glowing white double stomp onto Helios's forehead. The rocker's head flew back as his eyes rolled into the back of his head with a gurgled shout. He stumbled back a few steps before his head dropped and his shoulders slumped as he stood without a sound.

Flipping back on his feet, Jaune dragged out a tired, exhausted breath and he wiped the sweat from his face. It looked like Paralysis had finally attacked Helios, just in time too. Even with the small recovery in HP and Blood Oath healing his Bleed Status, he was about ready to lose his chance at winning. Helios wasn't a second year for nothing, the way he attacked was crazy and creative. He had no idea you could do those kinds of things with a guitar and semblance.

But it was over now.

'Helios Lyre, The Fallen Star of Hyperion.

5,120HP/27,500HP [K.O].'

That last Power Strike to the head was enough to knock him out. The corrupted aura around his body had even died, dispersing as the light inside Helios's head was shut off. Now his aura wouldn't further be at risk at Falling. And the stuck up, idiot could finally get some help. Even Headmaster Ozpin should have noticed the darkening aura. With that knowledge, maybe he could finally recover from whatever was troubling him.

Walking over the silent redhead, Jaune couldn't help but frown sadly as he noticed the small droplets of blood still dripping off of Helios' wounded body. So much hate, anger, frustration, and rage. Just what was tearing Helios up inside? And why was it all pointed at him for? He couldn't recall ever brushing the older student the wrong way, he hadn't even met him until that day in the cafeteria.

Just what was it about him that drove Helios to ignore his own injuries and drive himself mad?

"Helios, whatever I did to you, I'm sorry." Jaune apologized solemnly as he sheathed his sword back into Ignis Mors with a click, "I don't want us to be enemies. I actually want us to be friends if possible. You seem like a nice guy behind all that scowling and glaring. I just wish I knew what I did to make you so mad." he sighed before turning his back to the older huntsman and prepared to leave. The match was over, there was nothing more that needed to be done.

'WARNING, WARNING, WARNING! BOSS, INCOMING!'

Jaune's heart stopped and his eyes went wide. His breath was robbed of him as he felt an overwhelming presence behind him that sent shivers down his spine. A sense of fearful anxiety fell over him as he slowly glanced back towards Helios. The musician's yellow eyes stared back at him, blank as black ebbed along the whites of his eyes. The students watching the events suddenly made out an odd symbol burning through Helios' clothing from his back.

'No.'

Helios smiled sadly as faint dark ribbons wafted from his slouched form.

"Even at my best, I still can't beat you, huh? Figures, I'm no different than that stupid brat who thought he could buy his way into Beacon." he said with a hollow chuckle as his once arrogant voice lost its power and reverted into a somber tone.

"A guy who lied his way in with cash, couldn't hope to beat someone who was destined to succeed. Not without paying the price that is."

Jaune's eyes went wide at that small snippet as the pressure around Helios increased, 'Lied his way in? Is he being serious?'

The bandages over Helios's body began to burn away by some unseen fire as he gripped Hades Styx tightly and raised it over his head in a stabbing motion for the floor. Its blade burned a tainted orange-red as a bitter grimace fell over his face.

In the seats below the arena, Hera's face became panicked and fearful as her face paled.

"No, no, not again." she whispered softly in horror. Tsuki and Rue shot up from their seats in alarm as they watched their teammate perform a similar form he had done on their last mission.

The symbol on Helios' back burned brighter as an odd intricate circle etched itself below his feet, something that caught Weiss by surprise as she recognized the odd patterns.

'Those symbols, they look like. . .my Summon Glyph.'

Helios shook his head in frustration, bitter that it had come to this.

"You know, I was happy when I unlocked my semblance. It was my own, something born from my own desire. It was proof that all those nights I stayed up practicing and studying had paid off. It was a sign that I was finally a true huntsman like all my friends. That I was a Lyre, and this was the power of a Hero, not some rich snob." With a sigh, he stabbed his glaive onto the ground, dead center of the intricate circle around him. The circle responded with a flare of flames as it spun around him like a wheel of fire as his aura erupted out of him like a beacon.

"But in the end, it still wasn't enough. When I was dead on my feet, backed into a corner, it was my stupid birthright that saved me. The blood of a pansy, rich, weak willed, spoiled, greedy, pompous, idiot was the reason I survived. And I was happy, even if it meant I accepted my name, His name, by accepting its power. Because power like that could make my dream, Her dream, come true."

Jaune protected his face as a hot bellowing wind was released from Helios's body as his aura began to turn pure black. The darkness began to leak onto the circle, tainting it as the musician's body began to catch fire. Helios didn't seem to mind, at peace with what he was doing even as his skin began to visibly burn.

The sound of hurried footsteps could be heard as Jaune felt the world slow down around him. Helios didn't seem to be affected, not giving the sight of his teammates running towards the arena any thought as he grimly smiled.

"But I can't escape my blood. It's the only reason why I'm here. If it wasn't for my name, I would have never even been able to step foot onto Beacon. I should just… give in." his voice trembled as he offered his body to the fire. The arena rumbled as two burning black titanic, lanky arms pulled themselves out from the summoning circle slowly.

'Helios Hyperion, Heir to Wrath.'

'The Clockwork Exam: Finale.

Suspended.

New Mission Begun! A Corrupted Tune.

Information: Helios Lyre has begun to Fall! Under the fatal condition, it won't be long until he attracts the monsters of Grimm. Before that though, a window of opportunity has presented itself. With only five minutes, you must eliminate your opponent before he can complete his Summoning of his inherited guardian. Time will be suspended with the time limit up, leaving you to go all out against the Boss. Don't hesitate!

Rewards: Shards of Hatred. Hades Styx. Styx (5). Inferno Spear. 45,000Lien.

Failure Penalty: Game Over.'

What the hell kind of mission was that?! Jaune shouted a curse as the two titanic arms laid beside Helios, clawing menacingly as the rest of the being's body slowly formed from the ribbons of darkness flowing out of its summoner's body. There was no fucking way he was following through with a mission like that. He refused! He swiped the message away, only to snarl as The Game refused to drop it.

"NO! I don't care if this is mandatory, I won't fucking kill him! He hasn't done anything wrong!" Jaune shouted angrily as the timer for the mission appeared on his HUD.

'FIGHT!'

"I SAID NO!" Jaune roared before moving Ignis Mors in front of himself as a titanic arm threw a fist at him. He stayed his ground, refusing to give inch as he tried to push it back. In the end, the fist was too strong, forcing him to activate Gale Speed to avoid being pummeled. Skidding to a stop a few spaces away from Helios, he tried to talk some sense into the rocker.

"Helios, you have to snap out of it! Who cares if you win?! Winning isn't worth Falling! A real Hero wouldn't let themselves be consumed by some petty pride!" he shouted before jumping over a sweeping swipe of the summon.

"You're right, a real hero wouldn't let themselves become what I am. I'm no hero, I'm just another rich heir who thought money could make up for his shortcomings." He said darkly as he looked down in shame.

The two arms raised themselves up high in the air before slamming their fists down onto Jaune. Throwing Crocea Mors to the far side of the arena, he warped away from the devastating attack that shook the ground. He steadied himself as the rumbles died down before dashing out of the way from a thrusting palm.

"Rich heir? What are you talking about?" Jaune said in frustration. Something wasn't right with his speech. It sounded weak and lacking confidence.

Helios growled, "Nothing that matters to you. At least you can be proud of your name. Me? I'm just another silver spooned brat. " he nudged his head, signaling his titan arms to smash Jaune to mush.

Throwing Crocea Mors high in the air, Jaune Warp Striked his way out of another blazing fist before activating Reload and performing another Warp Strike to dodge the second arm flying for his airborne body. His blade warped him a few spaces from Helios who glared in disgust at his sight.

"I suppose that's fine. I'm a Hyperion, we're at least different than a dime a dozen rich snob. Our blood carries power, power to intimidate those who dare to dismiss us without lifting a finger. I could crush you, without even having to step off my seat." he hissed before raising his leg up. Stomping onto the ground, a burning titan leg rose up from his summoning circle and copied his movement, shattering the floor with large chunks of rubble and dirt with a colossal boom. But Jaune withstood the impact and force behind the blow, having stabbed Crocea Mors into the floor for support. Through the blast of dirt and shrapnel, Jaune moved a step closer to the Falling rocker. Helios' eyes twitched, growing furious at the action and raised his other foot high, commanding the second titan foot brought up through his circle to do the same before dropping it onto Jaune's form. Throwing his shield up, Jaune stopped the giant's foot from crushing him into paste. He gritted his teeth from the strain, turning back to Helios as his body continued to burn by the second.

Through the anger, the hate, the disgust, and the wrath in those yellow eyes being consumed by darkness and red, Jaune made out an emotion through all the negativity like a glimmer of faint light. He didn't know if it was because of his Clear Sight, or something he picked up on with experience, but he knew one thing.

Those eyes were in pain.

Jaune chuckled hoarsely as the foot fought to crush him. Right, Helios was in pain, he was Falling. And all Jaune had been thinking about was winning to finally be accepted as a legitimate huntsman in training. He thought he could beat his opponent before he could Fall, knock him out so someone else could save him. And he had ignored those small blue eyes, worried for her friend as he began to lose himself before her very eyes. He had brushed off those pleading, begging hands.

To save him. That's all he had been asked for. However, he could.

With a deep breath, Jaune stabbed Crocea Mors deeply into the side of the giant's foot with an added oomph of Power Strike. Helios flinched back from the wound as he called back the titan's leg before shaking his head with a scowl and commanding a fist to punch Jaune out of the arena.

"Point of Eruption!" With the foot gone, Jaune quickly reared his shield arm back before its point met the giant's knuckle head on. He roared in effort as he fought against the monstrous fist, digging his feet in as it slowly pushed him. Activating the ability again with Reload, he began to make some progress as the giant's fist began to show signs of breaking as cracks splintered from the knuckle.

Again, Helios flinched before retreating his summons's arm. The pain made his anger grow hotter as his skin began to pale.

2:00.

"But I think I'm alright with that. Because even if this stupid birth right gets me places without ever having to move a muscle, I can at least be happy if it can kill you!" he spat furiously before a scarred chest grew behind him. His two giant's arms connected with the shoulders as it began to be near completion.

"You may have the blood of warriors, but even that means nothing when compared to my blood!"

"WILL YOU STOP BABBLING ABOUT STUPID BLOODLINES!" Jaune shouted angrily before Gale Speeding his way towards him. Helios glowered at the tone before commanding his arms to clap the space in front of him. Appearing just where he thought he'd be, Helios was only further angered as Jaune threw his shield and sword to stop the giant's palm from crushing him. How he was capable of such strength, he didn't know, but it only infuriated him.

Grimacing from the strain in his arms, Jaune glared back at Helios with tired yet determined eyes.

"I don't know what's happening to you, but I know all the crap that's spewing out of your mouth is complete bullshit! What you and I are capable of has nothing to do with the blood that runs in our veins! I fought tooth and nail and even died to be where I am! My power is my own, AND NO ONE ELSES! JUST LIKE YOUR OWN!" Jaune's arms trembled, threatening to snap under the force trying to break him. But he endured and moved his face closer to the flinching rocker, "You want to be a hero? A star who everyone praises!? Then don't you think the Lyre name is better than this!?"

'Lyre? A hero?' A soft, faint voice echoed in Helios' head, splitting it like a driving stake.

"I am Helios Hyperion. I-"

"AM A LYRE!" Jaune shouted angrily as by some miracle, the titan's arms shattered like glass. Blood trailed down his worn-out arms as they fell to his side, useless. He shook his head, not giving them any mind as he glared back at the stunned older student, "That's all you ever say, that you are a Lyre! I don't know who Helios Hyperion is, but I know I like the arrogant, asshole known as Helios Lyre more than I do you!"

From the giant's neck, an armored helmed head began to form out of the darkness and aura flowing from Helios's body. A single red eye glared down at Jaune before its body began to slowly rise up in completion.

"S-Shut up! You don't know anything!" Helios cried as his summon began to reform its arms. His hands flew towards his head, gripping the sides as the whites of one of his eyes turned black and the irises bled red.

1:00.

Something resonated from Jaune's chest, beating with his heart as golden light shined from Helios' chest. The sight made Jaune blink, before he nodded in understanding. An option suddenly broke through The Game's message, distorting The Will's command.

'Dive?'

The Heart, that meant he had power of hearts, right? And this was the true power of The Heart. He was going to have to thank Husk later. Otherwise this would have ended another way.

Following the matured power flowing through his veins, Jaune gripped Crocea Mors with both of his hands and aimed its point straight for Helios' chest. From the golden glow, a keyhole appeared as Crocea Mors old gray blade grew odd teeth on one of its edges. Kinda like a key.

"You're right, I don't know anything. And that's the problem." Jaune said bitterly, "When I think about it, I was just making excuses before on why I shouldn't talk to you. You hated me, and that made me nervous. But if I had just sucked it up, I could have talked with you about that hate and gotten to know you better. Who knows? Maybe we could have hashed things out and become friends!" he grinned brightly before stabbing his sword deep into the keyhole.

"You talk about my bloodline being the reason why I'm so strong and popular. But that's just an excuse. I'm nothing like my blood, I'm just a fake. But I grew stronger with the help of my friends, and it's that strength that will help me open your eyes!"

Turning his sword like a key to a lock, Jaune was then engulfed by a bright ray of light that consumed everything in sight. Helios looked back at him in shock, his eyes trembling as tears ran down his face as his sight of Jaune blurred within the light. All he saw before everything went dark-

'Beginning Dive! Prepare for Transport! Get Ready!'

Was a smile.

"I'll save you. Even if you don't wish to be saved."

'GO!'

---

[Core: Helios Hyperion Lyre.]

Dropping through a sea of code always felt odd to Jaune. There wasn't any sunlight above him, only the illumination of the emerald bright numbers around him. Time wasn't a concept familiar with the space he now fell through, leaving him to guess how long it would take him to reach the bottom of the Core he dived within.

So, this was the true potential of his status as Heart? He was able to willingly Dive into the Cores of anyone with this power? The last time he had done this was only possible because of Husk using Will's Admin Key, saying that doing such was forbidden. If that was true, why was he capable of doing it? It made him wonder if The Will even understood the power he cursed The Players with. The little ball of blue flames was known for errors from Jaune's point of view.

It was actually a scary thought. A programmer that didn't even understand what they were doing with the game they were developing. A scary thought for said programs having to live through whatever world they were trapped in.

"That damn Husk! What the hell was that empty fool thinking?! I ought to snap his neck and hang him by his entrails! Or burn all the Lien in his possession. Either one would work."

Whatever sense of peace he had felt falling through the sea of data was beaten silly as his feet finally touched the bottom of the Core and an annoying voice entered his ear. He sighed as a small ember of azure appeared in front of him. A setting began to form from the stream of numbers, leaving Jaune standing before a large golden hall. The sight reminded him of the inside of a rich castle from the portraits of rich aristocrats on the walls and the gaudy furniture decorating the mansion. Everything seemed to glimmer with wealth. Even the giant door in front of him looked like it could buy and sell him.

Annoyance filled Will's being as it glared at Jaune. It was not happy.

"Heart, mind telling me why you're here?" it said sweetly with a strained smile, "Crossing into an NPC's Core is a no-no. Not even we gods are allowed to do such a thing. And weren't you supposed to kill that Helios boy? It's what The Game commands. And we all follow its commands." it hissed.

"I thought I made it clear that I wouldn't listen to anything you have to say." Jaune frowned as he chose to look at the door in front of him instead, "Besides, you all let me dive into Ren's Core before. How is this any different?"

"Because Mind was a Player! This is a fucking NPC!" Will roared, it's being growing bigger with its anger as its flames raged wildly. Its red eyes grew deeper as it grew to tower Jaune like a mini sun.

"You had a mission. Eliminate Helios before time ran out. Or it was Game Over for you! I even went as far as rewarding you the NPC's weapons, a new smithing material, and Lien! I didn't have to do any of that! I simply had to send you The Game's mission, that's all! But NO! You just want to keep fighting me at every turn! WHY?!"

"Because I refuse to kill another person!" Jaune shouted back, glaring angrily at the almighty being as he stood his ground. What The Game and The Will wanted was out of the question. Not again. Holt, Ren, they were mistakes. If he had any choice then, he wouldn't have to live with the guilt of their deaths haunting him.

Will rolled its beady red eyes in annoyance, "This again? What's one more death? If you're worried about all the NPC's reacting to you killing the red headed brat, then don't worry about it. The Game's got it covered. All I got to do is weave up some script that justifies the NPC's death and you'll be fine." it said with an air of boredom and a wave of its arm.

Jaune's anger rose as he tightened his fist. Oh, how he wished Crocea Mors could actually harm the damn thing.

"I won't kill Helios. Not when I can save him. If I could save Ren when he was Falling, then I can do the same with him. So, you can go back to whatever realm, reality, or dimension you came from. Because I'm not listening to another word you say." Jaune said sternly as he laid his palm on the cool surface of the towering door.

Will fumed at the Heart's disrespectful attitude before flying for his scroll. Like it would miss out on some action. Even if it wasn't happy with the kid right now.

"How did Husk send you in here?" Will asked as Jaune opened the giant twin doors. The merchant god didn't have its Admin Key on him. Not after last time.

Jaune sighed as he answered. As much as he didn't want the god tagging along, he didn't have any other choice in the matter. It could do whatever it wanted.

"Husk unlocked my full potential as The Heart. He said this was what I would be capable of once I had matured into my Title and reached my first End."

The answer seemed to be enough as The Will didn't say another word. It went silent as Jaune stepped into the new location. A bright light blinded Jaune as he shut his eyes. Why was it so bright?

Thankfully the light dimmed as he stepped foot on a red oak floor. Confusion set in as he turned around, finding himself standing in the middle of a round concert hall. Extravagant rows lined the outside of the stage, filled with silhouettes of high class concert goers. Above his head he found a glamorous crystal chandelier along with spotlights circling the concert hall. And at the center of the row of seats stood a giant lone gold throne, decorated with jewels and red velvet cushions. Sitting upon the throne was a tall being made of golden flames dressed in brass armor wielding a jeweled spear. Its lower face was hidden by a silver knitted shawl and a simple gold crown rested atop its head. Its beady red eyes stared down passively at Jaune, silently judging him from its throne.

Strangely, another, smaller stage was placed at the bottom of the row of seats. Almost like a small dance floor.

"Where the hell am I?" Jaune asked as he marveled at the concert hall. He'd been to some musical concerts before with his family in the past, but this was nothing like those family trips! The place looked like it was literally made out of gold! It was kinda blinding.

"This is Helios Hyperion Lyre's Core. Or what it's become at least." Will grumbled as its red eyes squinted at the design of the hall, "A little rich for my tastes. I'll never understand what those NPC's see in all this junk. It's just shiny metal. It's simply harder to find is all."

"This is Helios's Core? That doesn't seem right." Jaune frowned in thought. The Core reflected one's character. With Ren, his Core was tranquil and serene, it fit him to a T. But this? He would have thought that Helios's Core would be more punkish or have something to do with heroes. What he was seeing was a rich snob's center, not a foul-mouthed rocker's.

Will looked annoyed as it sighed. The kid had to take a lesson in listening.

"I said this is what it has become. This isn't what it normally looks like. Even with his Corruption being at 43%, it's enough to warp his perception of what he sees himself as. Seems his negativity flipped a switch in his personality." Will mused as it stroked its nonexistent chin. How interesting. But then again, he did design Helios's Core with a bit of his father's design. So, it wasn't that shocking. If anything, it was shocking the NPC hadn't stuck with Hors' personality and had instead gone with his mother's.

Hearing that, Jaune felt more at ease. It was actually relieving to know that wasn't how Helios really acted. Which wasn't any better honestly.

Giving the concert hall a final glance, Jaune brought his attention back to the azure flame residing in his scroll, "So, what do I do now? Do I have to pick a path somewhere to begin erasing the sources of corruption again?" he asked Will, only for it to shake its flaming body no.

"This Core isn't as corrupted as Mind's. The Grimm Origin that was born months ago hasn't had enough time to spread much of its influence into the data and code in here. It's basically been readying itself to split apart and do some real damage, but then you dove into the Core and interrupted it." it explained before motioning Jaune to turn the scroll around.

From the ceiling above, a single droplet of darkness fell onto the stage like a glob. It wriggled, rising up to shift its body into a black ball of miasma with a single beady red eye at the center. Its very presence sent chills down Jaune's spine.

'Grimm Origin.

?HP/?HP.'

Jaune's hand flew to Crocea Mors as he eyed the ball of darkness warily. He had enough experience from his first Dive to know that it was dangerous even as a ball. But at least there was only one of it. Less of a hassle for him that way.

"Then all I have to do is kill it?" Jaune asked as he prepared to make the first strike.

Will winced, sucking in a breath as its eyes spun for the giant seated at the center of the audience, "You say that as if it's easy."

The tall golden giant raised its spear before gently tapping it onto the ground. The sound it gave off erected a summoning circle before the Grimm Origin, summoning it a familiar red head.

Helios Lyre stared back blankly at Jaune's stunned face, his face pale as the whites of his eyes grew black and red. His wild red ponytail grew a pale rose, signaling his Falling status along with his paling skin. Helios quirked a brow at Jaune, scoffing to the side as his eyes fell.

"Come to stop me, Hero? Figures, you couldn't even just let me win and stand in the spotlight for a measly second." he said bitterly as the Grimm Origin formed a toothy grin and giggled as it floated above him. Streams of darkness began to flow between the two, connecting them as the small stage in front of the row of seats began to open up a concealed door. Turning his eyes to the sound of gears and chains, Jaune frowned at the odd sight of a woman rising up to the small stage. The long pink haired woman was chained by her wrists to the ground, wearing a long silk flowing skirt of gold, a jeweled top, a see through golden sash, and a silver veil hiding her face from view.

'The hell's going on?' This was getting weird. But knowing how the Core worked, everything within was based on the person's beliefs and memories. Who knew what was in store for him.

Shaking his head, Jaune went back to Helios as he tried to talk some sense into him, "Helios, you have to snap out of it! This isn't you, and you know it! Does winning really mean that much to you that you'd willing be controlled by your own despair?"

Helios smiled grimly as he rose his hand to the Grimm Origin above him. It giggled madly as its beady eye widened in glee.

"This isn't about winning. This isn't even about being a hero anymore. All I care about now is erasing your spotlight from my damn stage!" he spat before the Grimm Origin shut its eyes and began to consume him.

Jaune removed Crocea Mors from its sheath as he moved to intercept the fusion. He grunted, scowling in confusion as some almighty force kept his feet grounded.

"There's no stopping this now, Heart. The Core of Helios has already been infected, the only way to rid it of its corruption is to destroy the source. And the source is itching for a fight!" Will grinned eagerly. Oh, it was on the edge of the screen in anticipation! Seeing as it couldn't control what was inside the Core, it was always exciting to see the kinds of things it could create when threatened. Something it had only ever seen since Jaune had made his first Dive.

Completely consuming Helios's body, the Grimm Origin pulsed, throbbing like a heartbeat as it began its fusion. A wave of darkness erupted from its cocoon body, clouding Jaune's sight as the entire hall was blanketed with black smoke. Slit red eyes peered through the dark veil before the being within parted the darkness with a strong wave of their arm. In less than a second, all the darkness had been cleared away to reveal the menacing armored being standing before the stage.

Heavily armored with black and white steel growth platting, an imposing dark knight stood in Helios' place. Its armored bone greaves were lined with spikes curving back among white fur, sharp metallic fingers, and a platted chest with two long white thorn growths curving up like saber tooth tusks. It wore a white furred sash over its belt while its lower body, armored as the rest of it, was oddly hunched over like wolf's feet. In fact, its entire body looked like it was hunched over like a common Beowolf. The helm was even designed after the common Grimm with the beast's mouth opened wide in a snarl to reveal the red bone platted face of the knight. Its features were smooth with only a deeper set of red lined with black to form its eyes and a red wild ponytail flowing out the back of the helm.

'Grimm Lyre.

31,000HP/31,000HP'

Will whistled at the design as Jaune gulped, "Wow. Ain't that something? Even Remnant would be salivating at the design of the beast. Things like that turn her on. She's kinda a freak."

A Boss fight it is then. Well, Jaune should have expected as much. Most of his problems could only be resolved with a big fight. That was a video game for you though. At least here he could use his Spells, Items, and Links to get by. Might as well start off with a bang before the boss rushed him.

But again, the unknown force keeping his body still refused let him move a muscle. He grunted as he tried to even move his arm freely, growing on edge as he watched the Grimm Hyperion stretch out its arm and conjure something out of a mass of darkness in its hand.

'Don't tell me I'm just supposed to let it hit me! That's just cheating!'

'WARNING, WARNING, WARNING! BOSS, INCOMING! Grimm Lyre, Scion of Wrath. Setting functions into Mini Game: StarRocker! Get Ready!'

'Wait, what?' Jaune thought dully as Crocea Mors was sent to his Inventory by The Game and replaced with a wooden instrument. He stared at his old guitar, feeling his eye twitch as his HUD was replaced with a side menu of something he had only seen in a music game involving said instrument. His portrait displaying his Health, MP, and Link bar suddenly gained a score counter, reminding him of the last time he had gone through a similar situation.

"Turn Based Battle?" he said flatly as he watched the Grimm Lyre pull out Hades Styx from darkness. Will nodded vigorously with a wide grin.

"Hope you play guitar as good as you fight."

Jaune resisted the urge to smack his face and drag it down tiredly as he eased his shoulders and fixed his guitar. Pulling up his Abilities, he was at least happy to see it was similar to his dance battle. Everything came at a cost from healing to defending. From his guess, he was going to have to rack up points with his guitar to fight. Reading over the description of his abilities since they had been tweaked to fit the new style of combat, he steeled his resolve as a musical beat began to play all around them.

It looked like he was going to have to be a guitar hero this time.

'FIGHT!'

The Grimm Lyre went wild, its metal fingers flicking the strings to Hades Styx with fever as it bobbed along with the loud, ears screeching tune. Its red eyes beamed as the air was filled with its rocking beats.

Jaune followed along as the side screen began throwing notes at him from several different colors. He licked his lips as his fingers went to work, playing along with the selected score. It was an old score, one he had actually played with one of his sisters when he had first begun practicing. To his surprise, the belly dancer at the smaller center stage began to move along with the two different genres, swaying elegantly as her sash flew around her.

Grinding a long chord, the Grimm Lyre's tainted red aura began to flow out of it before its body was freed to move. Its eyes gleamed as it continued playing and aimed the pommel of Hades Styx at Jaune before its fingers gripped its trigger. An automatic fire of blazing bullets shot out and peppered Jaune. He held back a shout of pain as he almost lost focus on the notes. Now that he thought about it, how was he supposed to fight with a guitar? What was he supposed to do, bash the boss over the head with it?

Well, time to find out.

'Crescent Blade[500Points]: Fires a crescent blade of magic with a high Critical Hit rate. Has a chance to Stun and interrupt opponents. Allows attacking and strumming.'

Gaining enough points with 700 under his counter, Jaune selected the Ability with a mental command. His fingers didn't stop playing as they gained a white hue before his guitar fired a Crescent Blade without the need of a sword. It flew through the air as the bullet rain ended and cut through the dark wolf knight. It howled, its string of notes pausing as it fell to one knee. Seeing an opening, Jaune focused on the notes, hitting them as perfectly as he could as his score counter reached 1,100.

'Point of Eruption[1,000Points]: Attack with a blazing shield stab, dealing Fire damage. Timed right during an attack, it can stop the attack from landing and deal extra damage.'

Fire coursed through the strings of the wooden instrument as Ignis Mors was equipped in his right arm. Pausing his playing, Jaune was free to attack and dashed after the stunned boss. He drove the heated point into its chest, knocking it back as its HP was knocked down a decent amount. The Grimm Lyre dug its feet into the floor, sending bits of shattered stage flying back as it righted itself and went back to playing Hades Styx. A low growl escaped its mouthless mask as it readied itself for another attack, only to be stopped as a flaming bolt drilling into its face. Flame shrouded its helm as the explosion from a Firebolt nearly knocked it back.

'Grimm Lyre, Scion of Wrath.

24,100HP/31,000HP.'

For a Boss, it didn't have a good Defense. Only three hits and it was already taking a lot of damage. That was good. Hitting another combo of notes on his guitar, Jaune focused on building up another big attack as he watched the knight shake away the flames. He just had to keep up with the beat, just like before.

"….Heroes…never…DIE."

The gurgled, hoarse voice took Jaune back as the Grimm Lyre's arms slouched, its clawed fingers hitting the ground as it stared back at him with hollow red eyes. Beside it, two towers of gushing darkness erupted.

"LIES…lies made to fool children into hoping. Into believing they could be anything. Just a way to trick them into believing that their destiny was their own. How cruel." it rasped bitterly. From the darkness, two Beowolves arose with dark twisted versions of Styx in their hands. The sword now had several metal chords on its blade, allowing them to play their own scores as their tongue lulled along with the heavy metal music.

'Bass Beowolf.

7,000HP/7,000HP'

The Grimm Lyre's score continued to rise with the addition of its two grunts even as it stopped its playing. It rose a solitary finger at Jaune, the tip of its claw forming a red ball of unstable energy as it chuckled emptily.

"I've no need for lies. Now vanish, Hero."

A beam of destructive energy fired from its armored claw, moving faster than Jaune could blink as it pierced his shoulder. The pain made Jaune cry out and forgo playing his guitar as his hand flew for the gushing open hole. Having its own opening, the Grimm Lyre went back to playing Hades Styx to keep its score rising as the Bass Beowolves ceased their act. They howled in sync before running madly after the stunned blond knight. They abandoned their claws and gripped their Styx's tightly as they crossed over one another in their run. Together they performed a cross slash that sprayed blood onto the ground as Jaune stumbled back.

Struggling to get a grip on his guitar, Jaune used up 500 points to heal his wounds with a Large Potion. He gasped as the liquid went down and mended the red X as he tried to gather more points.

'So, now I have three opponents? How is that fair!?' That just meant more work then. He was going to have to focus on eliminating the Bass Beowolves before hitting the Boss. Otherwise he would only take more damage as it attacked without the need to gather its own points.

"Block!" Using up 200 points for the simple action, Jaune quickly brought Ignis Mors up to block another piercing beam from the boss. The simple attack pushed him back as the beam was split apart and carved into the seats above. Growling in dissatisfaction, the Beowolves spun around for the Grimm Lyre and bent their spine back as they brought their Styx to their mouths and continued to play with their tongue. A red aura lifted from their bodies, flowing into the dark wolf knight. A spike of strength filled the boss before it dashed after Jaune, trailing its glaive along the floor as sparks flew along the shattered bits. With a mighty upward slash, it had hoped to send the boy flying with a spray of blood but found Jaune blurring out of sight. It turned back, finding Jaune blurring in and out of sight with his sword glowing white.

"Hyper Blade!" With the right timing, Jaune had evaded the slash and went after the grunts. He ran for the dark wolves, stopping them both from playing another note as he knocked them around with a flurry of slashes. Done with his attack as he dropped the grunts HP about halfway, Jaune jumped back to his spot on the stage as the boss followed suit.

The Grimm Lyre dropped its score again and fired another round of gunfire as the wolves increased its Attack again. But Jaune was prepared, locking on his sights for the Beowolf on the left of the boss as Crocea Mors fell into his hand.

"Warp Strike!" The old steel of his family's sword stabbed through the wolf's face and exited the back of its head, killing it off as Jaune evaded the bullets in the nick of time. Ripping the blade out, he went back to his spot as the last of Beowolf howled and attacked. With his points low, he had to endure its attack as it spun on its foot and slashed at his chest. The Grimm Lyre followed along, running past its retreating grunt and dark red aura enshrouded its glaive and brought it down in a hammer swing. Jaune found himself spewing blood out from the carving tear along his chest and from his mouth. A large splatter of blood smeared the floor while he gasped, his feet falling back but he refused to drop the beat he had going. With some difficultly he continued and used up enough points to heal half the damage.

Just one more grunt, just one more and then he could attack! He just had to keep enduring whatever it had in mind.

Letting the boss keep the score going, the final Beowolf ran forward with a lunging stab. Jaune bit down on his lip as the thin edge ran through his side, cutting off 700HP with the attack. Still, he hit the notes on his HUD. Gathering a good stockpile of points, he fired a Crescent Blade after the retreating dark beast and lucked out as it scored a Critical. Now it was just the boss again.

Seeing it raise its finger for another pierce, Jaune offered up the points to move again and let the jets of Ignis Mors send him flying. Just before it could fire, Jaune slammed a Point of Eruption into its face, dealing more damage by its effect as its mask cracked. He kicked off its large body and fell back, watching as it gripped its damaged face. It grunted, dropping its arms as it summoned two more grunts to aid it again.

The boss's HP was nearing half, meaning he just had to keep up with the strategy. It was strong, and could summon help to keep its score rising while it attacked, but its Defense was weak. If he endured its attacks, healed after his HP was dropped a quarter way, and knocked out its grunts before moving onto it, he'd be able to put down the boss quickly.

With the plan solidified, Jaune focused on the notes on his HUD as the Grimm Lyre stopped playing to focus its eyes on the blond knight. The wolf like knight sighed tiredly, dropping its head while glancing at something to its side. Jaune frowned, following its line of sight to the pink haired belly dancer.

Why was she even here? The poor woman looked chained against her will, forced to dance to their music. Her place in their fight didn't make any sense.

Suddenly, a paper-thin line of light fell over the woman before a spike of malevolent flames erupted out from under her. The woman screamed in agony, the pain causing her to grip her burning body before the flames died away. Her body smoked, but looked unharmed as she began to dance again to the Beowolves music.

'What the hell?' Jaune was horrified by the sight. Even if the woman was made up of data and didn't exist, it still wasn't right to see her being harmed.

"I am a Hyperion! I HAVE NO NEED FOR CHILDISH THINGS!"

The roaring mad shout from the Grimm Lyre startled Jaune as he found the boss gripping its head in pain. It vigorously shook its head, the corrupted body cladding itself in its tainted aura.

"Heroes are nothing more than folklore lost to ages past! The only way to succeed, to be known, to shine, is by name and wealth! For a Hyperion is greater than a petty warrior!" Spreading its arms apart, black-red veins shot out of its palms and struck its minions. The Beowolves whined, their entire beings dissolving and drained into the Grimm Lyre. And with that, 10,000 of its HP had been brought back.

Jaune's strategy fell apart before him as the boss once again summoned two more Beowolves, and went further as another two appeared beside him. He broke out into a sweat as their volume increased, increasing the boss's score tenfold. The Grimm Lyre's voice rasped as it spoke, its beady red eyes dulling in color as it rose its finger up and its minions boosted its Strength.

"My bloodline is destined for riches. A future paved in gold. While your bloodline will only lead you to death."

Seeing the attack coming, Jaune paid the price to block as he rose his shield up for the incoming beam. But the increase in attack power from the four Beowolves had transformed the thin beam into a wide beam of devastation. A wall of corrupted blood red energy crashed forward like a wave, tearing up the stage as Jaune could only look on with disbelief. Desperately, he tried switching his Block into Hyper Blade or Warp Strike but before he could hit either option, the ground under him grew red hot. A spike of blazing fire erupted under him, burning him alive as he screamed in pain before being silenced by the sight of red engulfing him whole.

The wall and rows of seats filled with shadowed NPC's was blown to bits by the giant beam of red. It continued on like a continuous stream until it could no longer keep itself stable. It dispersed in a shower of red glimmer lights, leaving a massive hole in front of the boss's view.

Droplets of blood fell off of Jaune's body as he choked on the immense pain over every inch of his body. His eyes trembled, moving everywhere as he swayed on his feet. His combat hood had been completely disintegrated by the blast, leaving only his tattered pants and his scarred, burned chest exposed. Fatigue settled in as his eyes grew heavy. Breathes became labored and he tried to keep his eyes on his HUD.

'Jaune Arc, Heart of The Gamer.

1HP/8,800HP.'

Once again, Yang's Perk had saved his ass from death. Now if only he had a healing item that could restore all his HP in one go. It was too bad he had used up all the Ambrosia Professor Antheia had gifted him. Now she was out of stock until further notice. 'I-I guess m-mixing up a better p-potion will have to do.' he thought with a weak smile before becoming horrified at his score.

'Score: 0.'

That wasn't possible! Before he had been hit, he had saved up 17,200 points! Where did they all go? Did, did the attack erase all his progress?

Realization hit Jaune as his eyes slowly fell to his empty hands. They trembled, bloody and burned without the weight of his guitar. 'Was that. . .blown apart by the blast?' Breathing in a shaken breath, he tried to summon it from his inventory, going as far as calling it out loud, but to no avail. In his distraction, the boss had fired a small beam at him, piercing his chest and filling his lungs with red as his aura shattered. He nearly suffocated from the bile and blood as his HP hit the negative threshold.

Without anything to increase his score, Jaune was helpless. All he could do was stare back at the boss coating its glaive with its aura as the Beowolves boosted its strength with heavy eyes.

How? He had been making progress, had a plan formed, and even dropped the boss's health to half. But in one move, it had all been ruined. He couldn't even block it, stopped by the pyre of fire under his feet. What was going on?

At the center of the seats, sitting up their throne, the flaming golden giant rested its spear back against its seat as its glow died down. Its red eyes leered down at the blond boy, grinning widely beneath its shawl.

The sight Jaune's heavily wounded state actually made the Grimm Lyre pause. Its knuckles popped as its entire body shook.

Something faint cut through the loud metal music from the Beowolves, catching Jaune's attention as his heavy eyes grew wide.

"No…I…I…I don't want to. Please…stop."

The sound of a woman screaming at the top of her lungs as fire erupted below her feet caused the Grimm Lyre to howl in agony.

Jaune's eyes grew a sad hint as he stared down the despaired knight, 'You…don't want to fight, do you? Something's forcing you, filling your head with all this nonsense, and controlling you like a puppet. It's no wonder your arms are shaking.' he thought mournfully. He gritted his teeth angrily, eyes hot with tears as he felt even more useless.

The Will had gone silent, leaving his scroll to fend for himself. For a being that watched over them, it didn't seem to mind if they were killed. It must have been ticked off with his behavior and left. Figures he screwed himself over. Goes to show you that you shouldn't piss off a god.

'What am I supposed to do now? I can't gain any more points without an instrument, I can't fight, and I can't dodge willingly. Just what the hell am I supposed to do now!?'

Was this it? Was he about to die? Because he had ignored The Game's mission and decided to play hero? Because he refused to kill another living being? Was all the progress he had made these past few months all going to be for nothing? Just because he wanted to save someone who hated his guts, he was going to die.

"NO!" Jaune roared angrily, blood spitting out his mouth as he glared towards the looming dark knight. His body was beaten, bleeding, and scorched, but he refused to go down now. Not after everything he had gone through. He wasn't going to say good-bye to everyone again. And he'd be damned if he let someone be consumed by their own negativity.

He was The Heart. And he had come to learn that carried a certain responsibility.

"Helios, I know that this is not your fault. You may be an asshole, a jerk, obsessed with being a hero, and rude, but you're no killer!" Jaune shouted as he swept his arm to the glamorous hall around them, "All this gold and luxury isn't you either! You're no aristocrat who looks down on others because of status. You're Helios Lyre, another warrior who wants to be a hero, just like me! And I know that you're still in there!" he roared.

The Grimm Lyre's red eyes flinched, trembling as the blond's words resonated something deep within. It looked at Jaune, the boy's image blurring as it was replaced with another blond. A knight in battered silver blue and white armor wielding a lone longsword. The same blue and blond hair but older and mature with longer locks. The vision was something out of a fairy tale.

'G-Genos?'

The tapping of a spear hilt and another horrid scream of agony from the pink haired belly dancer brought it out of its thoughts. It didn't have the freedom for such thoughts. It never did.

It ignored the blond knight's words and prepared to fire one more colossal beam. Just one more and it would all be over.

The mass of red energy forming at the boss's finger tips signaled Jaune's end. All he could do under The Game's rules was watch as the deadly wall of red bulldozed its way towards him.

Unknown to those participating in the battle, The Will was watching the events unfold with a toothy grin. Its eyes beamed in joy as it materialized a hand and snapped its finger.

'Perfect! Now, I can finally go with my plan. Time to switch characters!'

Surely no one would blame it for playing with another Player?

The surrounding scenery suddenly glitched as time was drawn to a standstill. Just before Jaune was drown by the sure kill attack, the colossal beam was frozen a few spaces from him. He blinked, his body easing up as he stared down his imminent death. Was this a miracle?

"Miracle? No, this is righting a wrong."

A dark foreboding fell over Jaune as he spun around to the new voice and presence within the Core. A twisting pyre of black-red flames erupted like a geyser as the voice chuckled from within. A sense of familiarity hit Jaune.

'Why does it sound like me?'

From the darkness, a tattered cloak wearing stranger stepped out with their hands inside their pockets. Silver white tips of the stranger's hair peeked out from their hood and their red eyes leered at the nearly dead blond. The sight filled him with glee.

"I don't expect you to know me, or care. Which is funny considering. But I honestly don't care at this point." Blanc said with bitter mirth before reaching into his Inventory. There was no need to bring out his weapon, not when he was still working on perfecting fighting with it. Which wouldn't matter after this, Crocea Mors would be back home where it belongs. Instead he settled with a katana he had been rewarded from a White Fang grunt as he ran towards Jaune with a wild laugh.

"None of this will matter after I'm done with you! You'll just be a bad memory, a past I'll erase once I wake up back to our Reset!"

Seeing the stranger run in, Jaune moved to defend. But his body refused to listen to his command as he desperately fought to move. He bit his lip, shutting his eyes as they swelled with tears. Everything hurt, he couldn't move, and he couldn't even save Helios. And now some stranger was going to kill him. What a way to go.

"SAY GOODBYE, YOU FAKE!"

"Stop."

Both Blanc and Will found their eyes widening, stunned as they found several chains coiling around Blanc's limbs. The white-haired boy's eyes trembled, his anger taking over his shock as he spun his furious sights on the dead corpse stopping him from ending his nightmare. Following the shackles, he found the pink haired belly dancer breaking free from her captivity to stop him with her chains. Her green eyes glared at him, the dangerous aura he gave off not affecting her in the slightest. She tightened her grip, refusing to let him move and kill Jaune.

Jaune was as surprised as he looked at the woman. She could move? How? He couldn't even move!

Blanc snarled as he fought his restraints, "Lady, let go! You've no idea what you're doing!"

"You don't belong here. Nor do you." she glanced back at the ball of blue flames before the broken chains on her left arm fired after it. The Will was bewildered, unable to do a thing as its body was ensnared by the rusted links like they were strangling snakes. It then watched Blanc ripped off his feet as the chains tugged on itsels.

"Oh, for fuc-'

"Leave."

With immense strength, the woman began to swing the two above the air like a lasso. Blanc and Will were spun around, becoming blurs as the velocity stretched their faces.

'NO! No, no, no, no, no!' Blanc cried internally as his vision blurred. He was so close! Why the hell was this happening?

'I'm a GOD! How the hell is a program capable of sending me away?!' Will was not happy. In fact, it was furious. But as it tried to enforce its will over the programmed memory, it found itself unable to do a thing like Blanc. Its will had no power here. And it pissed it off beyond words.

With one final swing, the pink haired belly dancer let them go. The momentum and speed created from her swing sent them both flying towards the ceiling faster than a bullet. They crashed through, raining debris onto the concert stage as they vanished like twinkling stars in the night. All the while Jaune watched with a slacked jaw and wide eyes of disbelief.

'You know, I don't think I was as prepared for today as I thought.' Because he sure as hell wasn't prepared to see something like that when he woke up. That was beside the point though. What was that just about? Who was the stranger just now? And why did he try to kill him? What would have been the point? He said something about their Reset. What did that mean?

"Sir Genos?"

Snapping out of the many questions filling his head, Jaune turned around to the pink haired belly dancer. The sound of the chains trailing her was all that could be heard within what he guessed was a Pause as she warily walked up to him. He found himself blushing at her dress wear, revealing so much of her white pearl skin and her flat stomach. She was a real beauty. He scowled, noticing her wrist and feet were bruised, the skin of her ankles and wrist scarred a horrible rusted red from the worn chains once keeping her from leaving her little stage.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not Genos. My name's Jaune, Jaune Arc!" he said brightly despite his body still aching everywhere.

Genos, he had heard that name somewhere, even before Helios. Something about that name felt really familiar.

"Oh! I'm very sorry!" the belly dancer, throwing up her hands with a flinch as she apologized. Gulping nervously, she pushed her two fingers together as she spoke softly while looking down, "It's just you reminded me of someone. Of an old hero that meant the world to me. I suppose you just possess the same aura he gave off in those old worn out pages." she giggled. She suddenly got real close to his face, scrutinizing ever detail on his face as his blush grew deeper. For gods sakes, he could feel her hot breath on his neck!

"But you really do look like him. You did say Arc, correct? Hmm."

Sweating under the woman's gaze, Jaune nervously chuckled, "Anyway, thanks for saving me back there. If it wasn't for you, I'd be dead. And if I died here, I wouldn't be able to return to everyone." he said softly as he looked at his negative HP. He was sure that even a simple tap would keel him over. Just standing and speaking was taking a lot of effort.

The woman smiled sweetly, "It's the least I could do for all you've been trying to do to save my little sunlight. I'm sorry he's caused you so much trouble." she frowned sadly.

Little sunlight. Putting two and two together, Jaune took a wild guess as he pointed to Helios in his corrupted state.

"Helios is your son?" That was hard to believe. She looked so gentle and nurturing compared to his thuggish appearance.

The dancer nodded, her green eyes tearing up as she spun back to face Helios. The dark thing in his place was not her little hero. Just some twisted version. Created by Him.

Turning back to Jaune, the woman was hesitant to speak before gathering her courage.

"Mr. Arc, I know you have many questions right now, but time is of the essence. I can only hold this frozen moment for so long and my control is slipping with every second. It won't be long until time resumes. So, please hear my request!" she said with a cry, her eyes threatening to lose control of her tears.

"Please, save my little sunlight!"

'Please, go easy on him. Please, I don't want my friend to lose himself. I don't want to see him suffer anymore.'

Jaune chuckled as he shut his eyes, sighing as he nodded. Save him, huh? As if anyone had to ask a second time. He wasn't about to die over nothing after all. It was just too bad he hadn't thought of a better way to save Helios the first time. Maybe if he had taken a dive, things would have been better? Then again, he had a feeling that Helios wouldn't accept a win like that if he knew he was holding back on him.

Still, he wasn't exactly in any condition to be saving anyone now. He opened his eyes to his shaking hands, bloody and struggling to even clench. Once the Pause was dropped, he would be a sitting duck again. There was a literal red wall of death staring him in the face! There wasn't much he could do with The Game's rules in the way.

But that didn't mean he could say no to a face like that. He was a sucker to a woman's plea. Just like his father.

"I don't know what I'll be able to do, the guy hates my guts after all. I'm pretty sure if he knew what I was trying to do, he would start shouting at me and threaten to knock my jaw out. I mean, whoever heard of a hero saving a hero? But, I can't just leave him like that either."

The pain meant nothing as Jaune tightened his shaking fist with a pained grin, determined to fight despite the hopeless situation. He didn't come all this way for nothing!

"Don't worry, I promise you I'll find some way to save him."

The dancer smiled thankfully as a few tears slipped out. Just like a true hero. Happy that the boy accepted her plea, she turned her eyes to the real main threat that had been stopping Jaune from succeeding in the first place. Her eyes homed in on the frozen crowned giant.

"Then let me help. Helios is the least of your worries, the real threat is Hyperion. The giant is the one corrupting him. If you want any hope of ending this, then you have to take it out!"

Jaune looked back at the giant, sitting above everyone else like a king. That did explain the crown on its head. So, the main source of the Grimm Origin was the giant. Didn't Will say that the Grimm Origin was preparing to corrupt the rest of Helios's memories? Then what he was fighting now was just a body it had created to send out. Wait a minute, did that mean the giant was the reason why the table was flipped on him? That son of a bitch!

"Well, I could use all the help I can get. But how are you going to help?" Jaune asked with concern. Sure, she did send Will and the cloaked stranger flying earlier, but he was sure that was a one-time thing. She didn't look like much of a fighter.

The dancer smiled with a wink as she rested her hand on her wide hips, "Don't you worry! I can handle myself without a fancy sword. I got my own way of fighting back."

Jaune wasn't so sure, but she did save his ass once. For now, he would have to trust her. He didn't have much of a choice either way.

With everything set, Jaune nodded, signaling the pink haired woman to drop the stasis. This had been going on long enough, it was time to end all this fighting. The woman smiled happily as she released her hold over the twisted memory. It was in that moment Jaune remembered what laid ahead of him once time continued. The colossal beam roared to life, crashing its way to reduce him to nothing.

Jaune braced himself, hoping he could defy the odds and survive. But there was no need to as the pink haired woman stepped in front of him, unflinching as the beam inched closer. His body moved without his notice as he ran the short distance to push her away, only to be taken by surprise as a melodies voice escaped her lips. Her body glowed brightly as she brought her hand to her chest in a prayer, singing the song in heart as the beam stopped in front of her. It was suddenly crushed, condensing into a small ball that floated before her until it collapsed in itself.

Okay, so she did know how to defend herself.

Glancing back towards Jaune, the woman gestured her head to the giant, "Don't worry, I can pacify Helios. Focus on the giant and put an end to this. I'll even help you with those wounds and give you a boost." the woman's heavenly voice sang, causing a brilliant glow to engulf him. The wounds over his body were healed by the healing light, restoring his HP, and even bumping his stats up as he felt his muscles grow. He stared in amazement at the beautiful lights before narrowing his eyes and turning to the giant. It didn't look happy, standing at attention at the sight of the dancer free of her restraints. Its red eyes glowed angrily as it raised its spear to punish her.

Not again. Free of The Game's control as he swapped places with the dancer, he bounded after the giant as he scanned it while calling on Gale Speed.

'Grimm Hyperion, Ruler of Lyre.

33,000HP/33,000HP.'

The boost from the dancer's song increased Jaune's spike of speed so he would fly through the air as he charged the Grimm Hyperion like a streaking bullet. He ran on the very air as the golden flaming giant caught sight of him before it could tap its spear. It sneered, switching his action to swipe its long spear at the knight. Jaune smirked as he vanished under another burst of speed, flickering out of sight to appear by the side of its throne. He reared his fist back as Ignis Mors readied itself. The Score on his HUD was still there despite the free movement, but the beautiful dancer's singing was raising it faster than he had been able, allowing him to perform his Ability without a care as the jets flared to life.

"Point of Eruption!" Riding the erupting flames, Jaune smashed the point of his burning shield into the side of the giant's head, knocking it off its throne and sending it crashing along the seats beside it. It carved a line of wreckage as the shadow silhouettes flew up in the air before its large body stopped.

Seeing the giant hurt, the Grimm Lyre growled and moved to attack Jaune. But its feet were suddenly grounded along with its grunts as the heavenly voice from the dancer froze it. The monster looked towards her, its eyes narrowing as its body twitched. The voice, it was so soft yet strong. Just hearing it made its head hurt. Why?

"Cut straight through the Illusion~, and soar from the confusion!~ To a blue-sky revolution~, let it go and sing your heart out~!" the dancer sang, her voice sending chills down Jaune's spine as he watched the giant stand back up. It threw its hand out, stretching it like rubber as it flew to snatch the boy and crush him to a pulp. Something took over Jaune's body, automatically moving his body out of the way while airborne before falling onto the stretching arm. He didn't question it and dashed along it with his sword ready. The Grimm Hyperion narrowed its eyes and called back its arm with a snap. But Jaune had made enough distance to its face as he leapt and flipped in the air. He gripped his sword tightly as he swung down at its face.

"Don't you sweat~, the regret~! Make way~, make way! Everyday a future in the making~!"

Crocea Mors cut the middle of its face, sending it back as it roared in pain as a gush of rich golden blood flew out its scarred features. Angered, it gathered a ball of orange-red flames in its free hand and threw it after the blond knight. Jaune found himself unable to dodge as the giant ball of licking flames sent him flying to the other side of the hall. The flames burned his open skin, blistering his skin as his HP took a large dive.

"So, give the fight~, All your Might~!"

An incredible rush of energy entered Jaune's veins, helping him to ignore the pain and leap through the flames. Another giant ball of flames flew after him as he flew through the air. Meeting it, he cut the flames in half as he continued on his flight before several more followed the miss. He spun around one, dashed to the side of the next, and cut the next two to pieces that flew past him. The Grimm Hyperion's anger was only rising by the second, its body visibly flaring with flames as it rose its spear above its head. The rich golden weapon was bathed in its flames, elongating it, and sharpening its spearhead as it prepared to throw it.

That looked dangerous. Seeing his Score rise further and further, Jaune opened his options and decided to go with his favorite spell. It was a hefty cost, but he didn't have to worry about scores any more with the dancer's song.

"Reflect!"

With a roar, the Grimm Hyperion threw its spear at Jaune. The spear raged with blazing flames as it cut through the air and reached its target just as a mirror like barrier surrounded Jaune. The burning spear tip fought to shatter the mirror surface, sending flames around the surface as small cracks formed. A white light enveloped the spear, stopping it from its flight and sending it back to the giant. The Grimm Hyperion was too slow to dodge and found its own weapon running through its shoulder easily. It stumbled back with a low growl and ripped it out before slamming its pommel onto the seats, crushing the silhouettes sitting still despite the fight around them. Landing back on the seats, Jaune found himself moving back as a pillar of rising flames erupted under his feet. All around him random pillars erupted, covering the area in a bed of flames that threatened to burn him alive.

"Seeking out every lie I hear about~, tears and time pass by~!"

Sweating from the intense heat, Jaune evaded the pillars as his body became lighter. He was a blur, dodging the titan's flames as he dashed after it. Sword ready, he ran for its ankle and swung at its Achilles heel, slashing the tendons with a spray of golden blood with a spin of both his sword and bladed shield. The Grimm Hyperion howled as it fell to one knee, shaking the entire hall with its falling kneel. It glared at the blond knight, unleashing a roar that tore the seats around it to pieces that flew past the grimacing knight.

The Beowolves by the Grimm Lyre could no longer stand by. Together they rose their heads high and howled before charging together after the pink haired dancer. They abandoned their Styx's and jumped high for a dog pile of chomping teeth. Their tongues lulled out as they dove at the woman, intent on ripping her to shreds.

A blur flew past them from behind, confusing the dark beasts before several thin lines appeared on their bodies. The Beowolves choked as blood sprayed out of the numerous slashes appearing on their bodies before their smoking carcasses dropped in front of the dark Grimm knight standing before the dancer. Its shaking arm set down its glaive with some difficulty before glancing back at the woman.

"I say goodbye everything is on the line~, but I'll never know unless I try~!" her beautiful green eyes looked at it gently, seeing past all the darkness to the soul corrupted by the Grimm Hyperion. It didn't understand why, but seeing her free, singing so freely without a care, made it feel at ease. A heavy weight was lifted from its shoulders. Its armored fingers twitched, slowly inching towards the strings of its weapons before it found itself playing along with her. Its red beady eyes dimmed, losing its malevolent dye before yellow replaced them.

The Grimm Hyperion raged as it found several bolts of fire slamming into its body, nearly sending it falling back as its golden flames were overrun by bright red flames. It threw a stretching fist at the knight, intent on sending him flying. Jaune stood his ground, bringing back Crocea Mors in a stabbing motion before roaring as he drove its point through the giant knuckle overshadowing his body. He dug his feet in, refusing to give in an inch as he reared his fist back.

"Every time you fail~, every time you cry~, make it so,~ it only makes you stronger~!"

A surge of strength enveloped Jaune's fist as he slammed his red vein fist into the pommel of Crocea Mors.

"Giga Impact!"

All that power was injected into the Grimm Hyperion's fist through the blade of Crocea Mors, ballooning its knuckles and wrist before trembling fiercely. It was too much. The fist erupted in a shower of burning gold blood, soaking Jaune's body as he jumped back from the titan slamming its only fist over him. He flinched as the force of the slamming fist sent chunks of the floor and seats flying by him, peppering him like shrapnel. Falling a good distance away from the groaning giant, Jaune looked over its HP with a smiling grimace.

'Grimm Hyperion, Ruler of Lyre.

9,130HP/33,000HP.'

For a titan, it was awfully weak. It looked like its design was all for show. That and the dancer's song was continually boosting his Stats with every lyric. It wouldn't be long until the boss was done for. So, he better keep up the assault before the dancer's song was over.

The Grimm Hyperion though was done messing around. It could no longer stand and it had lost one of its hands to the small knight. Its pride was crushed. Its body erupted with a beacon of golden flames as it roared, the very volume creating a shock wave that shattered everything around it. It shattered its own spear as it flung its only arm up, pointing a single digit into the air. A red-hot dot grew to hover over its finger before flames began to spiral around the small ember. A literal sun of fire was growing overhead, the very presence of it lighting the room and filling the air with heat waves.

Jaune found himself gasping as his body was coated in a sheen of sweat, the very air burning his skin like an acid mist. That was not something he could survive. Even with his HP, he would die. And it didn't look like he could dodge or block something that giant. It was a widespread attack, one that would obliterate everything under a sea of flames. Which left only one option.

Kill it before it could finish its attack.

'Do I even have an attack that can deal 10,000 damage in one hit?' Jaune had gotten stronger, there was no doubt about that. But he still wasn't capable of doing that much damage in one hit. The most he could deal was 7,000 with Giga Impact, and that was at the cost of his health. Maybe one of his Links could do that much. Times like this he wished he had some kind of finisher.

In his musings, something suddenly popped up in Jaune's HUD. A new option suddenly appeared before him, causing him to look at it in surprise before looking back at the singing dancer. He was further surprised to see the Grimm Lyre playing along with her.

'KS Link[Knight Symphony]! ACTIVATE!'

'Knight Symphony[KS]: A once in a lifetime Link! Only usable once. Converts the power of song from the heart into pure power, increasing all stats to unimaginable levels. Grants Melody for one-time use! A power born through The Hearts rebellious nature reaching out to a soul long gone.'

Jaune didn't waste another second as he activated the convenient Link. It sounded like just what he needed. He could only hope that in this new form he could deal enough damage to stop the boss.

Unlike every other time Jaune had performed a Link, his outfit didn't change. Instead his body was coated in a sheen of luminescent gold energy as his sword gained a new form in his stead. The old gray blade was polished a pure white as it gained a gold engraving along its metal blade. The hilt was colored silver and the grip grew a snow white along with a musical note key chain attached to its pommel.

But there was no time to marvel at his sword's new form. The sun growing overhead shattered the ceiling above them, sending the chandelier falling onto the stage. The Grimm Lyre saw it coming their way and swung its glaive, sending a tearing wave to smash the crystal ornament to pieces. The glimmering shards twinkled as they fell over the two. Its yellow eyes spun back for Jaune, nodding stiffly before returning to playing alongside the dancer.

"Cut straight through the illusion~, and soar from the confusion~, to a blue-sky revolution~!"

No more time to waste. Swinging his sword to the side, Jaune quickly read over the descriptions of the new ability before activating it. His HP was dropping under the intense heat at a fast pace. He needed to end this now. He wasn't going to wait for another miracle to show up. Just one more attack, and that would be it! Gripping his sword's handle tightly, Jaune stabbed the blade into the ground before him as it let loose a harmonious tone.

"Let it go and sing your heart out~! Don't you sweat~, the regret~! Make way~, make way! Can't forsake a future this bright~!"

A stream of visible musical notes erupted out of Crocea Mors new form, flowing past Jaune to float behind his back. A score of notes began to form behind him, glowing in several colors like a rainbow as he shut his eyes firmly. The notes pulsed, glowing brighter before each note fired a sharp string at the giant as it heaved the colossal sun above higher. The colorful strings stabbed deep into its golden being, glowing with rainbow hues as the score behind Jaune completed. The score pulsed as Jaune opened his eyes, his blue eyes glowing a bright blue as he ripped his blade out from the floor. He grinned in victory, watching the giant prepare to throw down the literal sun in the sky onto them as he swung his sword to the right and left it to hang like a clock arm.

"So~, give the fight~, All your MIGHT~!"

"Melody."

With the end of the song, Jaune swung Crocea Mors up in a complete arc, releasing a rainbow wave to cut the thread of strings from the score. A wondrous tune was made from the severed connection, running through the threads to travel back to the Grimm Hyperion. Its eyes went wide as the tune entered its body, hitting its innards as it began to tremble uncontrollably. The sun resting at its fingertip lost its stability and began to wither away in wisps. Its arms flew over its chest, gripping its sides as its body swayed back and forth while it groaned. Thin beams of colorful lights escaped its body as it howled into the open sky.

The tune within became too much to bear. With a thunderous roar, the boss was enveloped by a pillar of light from within its body. The light ripped its golden flesh from its body from within, lost to the musical harmony released by its dying breath. In its last moments, its arm reached out from the pillar, its clawing brittle fingers flying for Jaune to crush him. Jaune saw it coming and moved to cut it down, only for an armored back to suddenly appear in his sights.

The Grimm Lyre threw down its glaive, cleaving the disintegrating hand in two with a roar. It glared at the fading red eyes within the devastating pillar of colors, its yellow eyes defiant as it stood in rebellion to the withering titan.

"Begone, Hyperion."

The Grimm Hyperion moaned dejectedly as it faded into the pillar, its remains reduced to nothing. The colorful energy became unstable, growing wild now that its target had been destroyed. And with a light ding, the pillar blew up in a light rain that showered the ruined stage.

'Congratulations! Grimm Hyperion, Ruler of Lyre, defeated! +120,000EXP! A new Spell has been Unlocked! End-Spear, unlocked!'

It was over. It was finally over. Jaune chuckled weakly as he looked up at the sky through the destroyed ceiling before shutting his eyes in peace as the distorted Core began to waver. The main source of the corruption had been destroyed, leaving the memory to return to its original state. The darkness, the negativity, the pain, and sorrow that had been plaguing Helios had finally been erased. And now it was time for him to wake up, free of his corruption.

"Do not act so relieved. There is still much to be done."

The tired, worn out voice of the Grimm Lyre brought Jaune's attention back to it. The wolf like knight stood in front of him as its owner's Core began to slowly disintegrate into small twinkles of light and reform. It no longer looked at him with red eyes full of hate, but calm yellow eyes. Now that Jaune's mind was clear of any threats, he was surprised at the sight of the once boss.

Helios was free of his corruption, right?

Making her way to the two, the dancer nodded to her son's words with a conflicted frown.

"He's right. Sadly, the corruption in Helios's Core still exists. And while you erased a large portion of it, he is still in danger of Falling in the future. His source of Corruption still lives." she said somberly as she gentle patted the arm of the Grimm Lyre.

If Jaune wasn't so polite, he would be pulling at his hair in frustration as he shouted obscenely at the sky. Seriously?! After, what? Three boss fights, Helios was still in danger of Falling? He was calling bullshit, again.

Shaking his head wearily, Jaune frowned sadly as his arms fell to his side in exhaustion. He wasn't sure what to do now.

"Then, what do I have to do? I can't just leave Helios to Fall, not again." he said stubbornly despite his own tiredness. If there still was anyway to prevent that from happening, he could do it.

The dancer smiled softly at Jaune, happy that he was still willing to do more for her troublesome son. Like a true hero.

"I'm sorry to say, there isn't much you can do now. Helios's source of negativity runs deep, deeper than you or I could reach. The only one who can make peace with that much negativity, is himself."

The Grimm Lyre dipped its helm as it nodded. It could still feel the darkness inside as small as it was. Twisting, wriggling, gnawing at its Core. It seemed that even Jaune's help couldn't completely erase it. It couldn't help but chuckle as it turned its head up at the battle worn blond. After everything it had done, both outside and inside, he was still willing to save him of all people? It found it hard to believe such a person existed. No one would stand that much scorn and still be willing to help them out.

It looked like Jaune wore the title Hero better than he did. And as bitter as he was with it, he found himself at peace. A small smile made its way to his face as his body began to straighten out, his clawed fingers shifting to normal digits as he stood straight up.

"You've done enough, Arc. A real hero in training knows when to clean up their own mess when all is said and done. I've grown tired of your meddling anyways." Helios scoffed as his human physique returned. He crossed his arms over his armored chest with a leer before grunting as a hand smacked the back of his head. He rubbed the aching area as his mother gave him an unhappy glare.

"Your friend nearly died trying to save you! Show some gratitude, young man!" the dancer chided with a wagging finger. Helios growled but listened as he looked away from Jaune and sighed.

"...Thanks, for everything." he bit out with a struggle.

The dancer sighed at her son's behavior. Well, it was some progress. Better than nothing. And for that, she was thankful for the blond knight. He had saved her son in his darkest moment. Simply because he couldn't stand to see him suffer.

"Jaune, was it?" she said softly while titling her head. Jaune nodded as she stepped closer to him, getting into his personal space as he gulped. The smile on her face was fond, her eyes gleaming with happy tears before her small body pressed itself against him in an embrace. The action took him back, turning nervous as Helios glared at him with a shaking fist.

"Thank you, for saving my little sunlight. And for letting him know that whatever his name is, he is who he chooses to be. For so long, I've been worrying over his mental state, but could do nothing as I was. But because of you, he's now free to think clearly again. And I know this time, he'll overcome his dark emotions." she sniffed happily, grinning into Jaune's chest as more tears fell and soaked his scarred, dried bloody skin.

Hesitantly, Jaune patted the woman's back as Helios scoffed and turned away from the scene. He smiled gratefully at her as he hugged her back. If it wasn't for her intervening at the last second, he wouldn't be here at all. His data would have been lost to the corrupted Core, never to return. He owed her more than he did her.

His time within the Core could not last any longer. His body began to waver, turning into bits of data that began to stream up like smoke. But before he completely vanished from Helios's Core, he did have one thing to ask.

"Who are you anyways?" he couldn't help but ask. Jaune knew she was Helios's mother, but he never got a name.

The pink haired belly dancer smacked her cheeks in surprise, astonished that she had forgotten such a thing. She smiled at him, reaching behind her back before Jaune completely vanished to hand him something. He grew confused, finding an old weathered book in his hands before looking back at her as a flash of bright light blinded his vision.

"My names Selena Lyre, mother of Apollo Hyperion Lyre, and Helios Hyperion Lyre. And a wannabe hero!"

---

As the bright flash died away, Jaune found himself stumbling back on beaten legs as he was returned to the real world. His vision was blurry at first, his hearing not so well either as everything sounded muffled. The Dive to Helios's Core had drained him of a ridiculous amount of energy and the wounds he had received before were still there. He held his head as he tried to shake away what felt like vertigo from his little trip as everything came back to him.

'Helios!' With a start, he rubbed his eyes and looked for the Falling rocker. His vision cleared and his hearing returned as his sight found Helios still standing, his body slouched as if he was knocked out. Just what he looked like before he began to Fall. His body was devoid of the burns of his summoning act, confusing Jaune as Helios groaned and held his head in pain. Jaune looked around the damaged arena, growing more confused at the lack of damage brought on by the titan arms Helios had summoned. It was as if time had been turned back a few minutes.

In the seats above, Ren groaned as he gripped his splitting forehead. His magenta eyes glared at the back of Jaune. 'That son of a bitch! He could have at least warned me of disrupting the fabric of time. No doubt it's The Game's doing.' Relieving the worried looks from his friends, he sighed as the pain lessened. Knowing the other two Players, he was going to be receiving a message on why their own heads were splitting.

Random flashes blew up in Helios's head as his eyes squinted and his breath grew ragged. What happened? The last thing he remembered was Jaune landing a double kick to his head before the lights in his head were shut for a second. Then...something happened. Anger, hatred, despair, humiliation, and jealousy had consumed him to the point he had gone blind to it. But all those dark emotions were suddenly mute. All he felt now was pure exhaustion. He could barely stand. Not to mention all the wounds he had suffered since yesterday flared up, causing him to wince deeply.

'What…what happened to me? What's going on? What the hell am I even doing?' his mind wasn't too clear right now but once he met Jaune's equally tired gaze, it all came back to him like a sucker punch. His anger, his spite, his arrogance, and mistakes. He felt disgusted with himself as he balled his sore, bloody, and trembling fists in self-hatred.

'What the fuck have I been doing?! When did I…when did I start becoming as bad as my father?'

Filled with regret, Helios looked back to Jaune, ready to apologize.

"Jaune, I'm-"

"The fight's still on."

Helios frowned, confused as Jaune smiled at him. Fight? How could he still want to fight? He looked as dead as him!

And Jaune was dead on his feet. The Dive had done more than drain him of stamina. His HP had dropped, nearing the red. What he had done had come at a cost to his health. One more hit, and he was sure he would topple over. But this fight meant something to Helios, more than it did himself. Jaune didn't care about passing his exam anymore, all he cared about was putting the beef between them to an end. If this fight would end it, then he would end it no matter the results.

Sheathing Crocea More into Ignis Mors, he rose his fist in a boxing stance as he grinned tiredly. They were both too beaten up to fight with their weapons now. If this was to be a fair fight, then they would have to end this the good old fashion way.

"Weren't you going to show everyone who the real star was? The show's still going on. So, how about we give them something to cheer about?" he said brightly, his face dirty, bruised, and dried with blood from their fight.

Helios stared incredulously at the blond, too stunned for words. He found himself growling in annoyance as he dropped Hades Styx and threw up his fists. He still wasn't sure what just happened, but he didn't need a reason to finish a fight. Still though, he found himself grinning as he stared down his opponent.

"You still want to go, Jaune? Fine with me! It's about time we end this!" he shouted eagerly as he pushed his feet forward and fell into a run. Jaune followed, running forward as they both pulled back their fists with roaring shouts.

Blue and yellow eyes met just before the other found a hard-knuckled fist slamming into the side of their face. Jaune and Helios's heads were flung to the side, their thoughts going blank from the heavy hits. They pulled back, panting heavily as sweat dripped down their faces as they glared at one another. Their eyes were heavy with dark bags under their lids, both still refusing to go down and accept defeat. They both raised their fists up again for one more hit, both their arms trembling weakly as they fought desperately to stay conscious.

Helios smirked, finding himself oddly happy as his legs wobbled and his knees gave out. His arm fell to his side, losing its strength as he fell forward.

"You win this time, Jaune. But next time, I'll be the one with the cheering crowd to their back." he said softly with a small smile.

'Congratulations! Helios Lyre, defeated!

+57,000EXP!

The Clockwork Exam: Finale, Completed!

The Final Exam has been completed! By passing Ozpin's series of tests, you have now gained official entry into Beacon Academy! You've now been recognized as an official huntsman in training!

To receive your rewards, be sure to speak with Headmaster Ozpin and Headmistress Goodwitch! A Special Mission awaits you at the end.'

Reacting quickly, Jaune caught Helios before he hit the floor. He gazed at the knocked-out redhead somberly, knowing he had fought with everything to prove himself as a strong warrior. But in the end, it was his own wounds from before the fight that must have been what had knocked him out. He released a tired breath, ignoring the sound of cheering, and shouting as the match ended. If only they knew what had gone down minutes ago in a time that no longer existed.

Despite the cheering at the intense fight, three students ran down in alarm. Hera made it to the stage as the shields went down and scrambled on her way to her wounded teammate. She nearly tripped on her feet as Jaune met her worried gaze with a tired smile. She looked at him, her eyes tearing up as he chuckled.

"It's alright. Helios is fine. They guy's just taking a nap is all. Something I'm sure he's long overdue for." he said softly.

Rue smiled thankfully at the blond knight as he handed over his partner. He looked at the normally scowling face of his friend and was surprised to see his face at ease. Like a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders. His eyes opened part way, revealing his shock.

'It's…gone?'

Jaune nearly fell back at the loss of weight in his arms, blinking as his own exhaustion took its toll. At this point he was surprised he hadn't passed out. The fact that he was still standing made him feel proud. Four months ago, he would have been hauled away to the nurse's office for his wounds. But despite how wounded he was, his aura was already mending the damage. He would be all healed up in an hour at best, not including his exhaustion. Only rest would fix that.

Seeing Hera's eyes still on him, he knelt down with some difficulty to look her in the eyes.

"You can stop worrying about him, Hera. I think I knocked some sense into him. So, smile!" he said brightly.

Hera sniffed, fighting back tears before raising her raging fist. Jaune blanched, knowing what her little love taps could do first hand. Steeling himself for the blow, he suddenly found himself blinking as the little huntress's fist weakly smacked his chest. She smiled back at him, blinking away tears as her heart was at ease.

Like the others with more observant eyes, she had seen the negativity tainting Helios' aura. She had been terrified with the thought that her friend was about to Fall. But then that dark shroud she had seen for a split second vanished. Even his face seemed at ease in his sleep. It had been a long time since she had seen him like that.

Was it because of Jaune? The dumb, goofy, dorky, bumbling blond that had always been speaking to her like she was his friend? Did their fight somehow return her old teammate back to her?

Thinking about it was too confusing. All she knew was that her friend was sleeping peacefully, his aura already going to work at last to heal his wounds, and it was because of Jaune somehow. She wasn't going to question it. Because her friend was still with her.

"Jaune, thank you." she said softly with a small grin.

Jaune waved away the thanks with a laugh, "No problem! Besides, I didn't do much." That was a lie. He did more than she could imagine. He fought a literal giant with a sun in its hand.

Something suddenly grabbed him from the back of his combat hood, pulling him up so that he would find himself staring at the blood red eyes of one Tsuki Yumi. Her cold gaze softer than usual.

"I have decided that you can touch them."

"Touch what now?"

Tsuki looked at Jaune flatly before his eyes fell to her chest. Jaune gasped in realization before blushing madly.

'God damn it! This is the worst time to be saying something like that!'

Rue chuckled as he watched his dark-haired teammate wiggle her chest while still showing little emotion.

"Well, I think we've all had a long day. And our buddy here is in need of some medical attention." Rue laughed, patting his partner's back as he carried him over his shoulder. The small jolt suddenly roused the rocker out of his sleep for a brief moment as his unfocused eyes spun around in alarm.

"Who's-that? I'm-not-asleep-I've-never-slept-a-day-in-my-life! Fuck-you!" he shouted groggily before snoring as he fell back to sleep.

Rue whistled as they all looked at the redhead strangely, "Even asleep, he's still rude. Ain't that adorable?" he cooed.

"Right." Jaune said flatly, "Well, I know Ms. Spriggan's probably still in her office. I'm sure she wouldn't mind patching Helios up. Better him than me." he chuckled.

Cleaning the small wetness in her eyes, Hera nodded happily and gestured for Rue to make his way out before she spoke to the Headmaster. While Helios was fine now, she wasn't going to take any chances. They would talk to them about their teammates mental state and see if they could make sure he was alright.

"Thanks again, Jaune. I wasn't sure what to do with Helios, but now we'll make sure he gets the help we should have gotten him a while back." Giving the blond boy one more smile, Hera turned away and headed for Ozpin. She frowned lightly, noticing the gray-haired professor hold his head with a grimace.

All that was left was Tsuki. The stern older girl quickly glanced back, looking for any eyes on them before shrugging and stepping closer to her new friend. Faster than Jaune could react, Tsuki gave him a small peck on his cheek before swiftly turning on her heel with a smirk of satisfaction.

'That woman is going to be the end of me, I swear.' Jaune gulped nervously as his eyes followed the dark temptress, her every step swaying her hips in his sight. The girl truly knew how to entrap her prey, he would give her that.

'Tsuki Yumi's Friendship has risen!'

With team HRTH know gone from the classroom with Hera's departure after speaking with the Headmaster, Jaune was left alone in the battle scarred arena. His shoulders sagged, his muscles at ease with the end of the constant fighting of the day as he scratched his head with a yawn. First thing he was going to do after this was take another nap. A growl from his stomach changed his plans, reminding him he hadn't had the chance for lunch. 'Okay, first some food, a hot bath, a change of clothes into my favorite jammies, and then sleep.' he thought tiredly as he awaited Ozpin to speak to him about his results.

A rumble from his scroll cut those ideas short as Jaune reached for his handy device. He groaned, finding a message from Ren.

'We need to talk. Now. We'll meet at your old training spot later.'

Short and to the point. That was Ren for you. Replying back to meet him, Jaune pocketed his scroll with thoughts of what was to come. Hopefully nothing too serious. He already had enough to deal with for one day.

'Well, wasn't that enlightening?' With a small grimace, Ozpin's attention fell back to Jaune as the splitting headache eased. He glanced to his scroll, idly noticing a small irregularity. 'Three minutes? How fascinating. Seems you're full of surprises, Mr. Arc.' he chuckled under his breath as he got up from his seat.

There was much to be done. Like congratulating a certain knight on his status as an official student of Beacon. Ozpin's eyes briefly fell to the floor, seeing past all the layers of concrete and dirt to something hidden from the world. An enigmatic smile grew on his face as he looked towards Jaune who awaited his test results.

'Perhaps your Strength could reach out to someone else?'

What a fascinating year this was turning out to be.

---

The day's events had come to a close, leaving night to finally settle over Vale. The cool air felt nice after the day Jaune had. A test of endurance against a veteran huntsman, hijacking a plane to Beacon, fighting a death machine while answering questions, and finally to top off the stressful day, a fight against a Falling huntsman in training who hated his guts before taking a Dive. Funny how he was no longer surprised with such things anymore. A few months ago, he would have been struggling to pick up his jaw at such a feat. But then again, he had also been dead in a world that no longer existed.

With a worn-out breath, Jaune sat over the ledge of the rooftop of the school as he looked out to the scenic sight of Beacon's CCT tower. No matter how many times he had seen it, it always looked beautiful and reminded him of his starting point. A sight like that would never grow old in his eyes.

The door to the entrance of the rooftop creaked as a familiar presence walked over. With a small groan, Ren plopped down next to him as his own magenta eyes stared off to the tower of emerald lights. Even he had to admit it was a nice sight to see in every Reset.

"So, I guess you've finally received your official transcripts?" Ren decided to start off with a small question he already knew the answer to. An official document suddenly stared back at him from Jaune's hand, showing off the reward for his mission. Grabbing the paper, Ren found himself impressed.

"You know, I think this is the only world that you've ever received such a thing. You always started off with fake transcripts, no matter what path you had fallen in. And it would take you years before you were officially recognized as a professional huntsman. Seeing this in my hands is actually hard to believe." he chuckled.

"Just another thing I've changed with my involvement in this game. I couldn't stay a fake forever, you know?" Jaune said wistfully as Ren handed back his transcripts. He had always dreamed of holding these papers back as a kid. It was his ticket to his dream. And now, it was here in his hands. Telling the world that he was a real huntsman in training. Just like everyone else.

"It honestly wouldn't have mattered. Very few times has your status as a fake made any relevance in our playthroughs. All it ever did was create some interesting Events from it." Ren said nonchalantly, waving the reward away like it was nothing. In his opinion, it would have been simpler to continue on with the lie.

Jaune scowled as his eyes refused to leave his transcripts, "Well, it mattered to me. I didn't have the experience or the power to reach for this until now. So, why not make it official? If I'm going to be changing the events that turned you into a lazy, uncaring sloth, then I might as well start off somewhere."

The sloth jab earned a twitching glare from Ren. He knew he was lazy, but did they have to go as far as comparing him to a sloth?

"Well we have a hell of a year ahead of us, so I suppose you might as well start off with something small. As eventful as the last few months have been, they're nothing compared to what's to come. We still have The Breach Event coming up at the end of the second semester."

Right, The Breach. That was coming up faster than Jaune expected. The Event that had led to his death at the hands of the White Fang Lieutenant. From that disastrous moment in time, he had lost his life saving Weiss at the hands of a mad man lost to his hate. And from that sacrifice, his life had been transformed into a game.

That meant he had another chance to change the events to come. To save people. And continue living on at the point he had been lost to the world. His knowledge of the events from his first day at Beacon to the second semester would be useless after that, the little edge from those memories leaving him without any idea of what was to come. Thankfully Ren was now on his side, lending a hand to help change things for the better.

Things would be different this time around. Whatever it took, he would make sure of that.

"Then I guess I better get to training during our three weeks off. As much as I would love to sit around and read comics and play video games all day, I have a responsibility to keep up." Jaune grinned as looked up the shattered moon above.

Ren quirked a brow, "Responsibility?"

"Yup! What, haven't you ever heard that with great power, comes great responsibility? Power like this, to change the events of the world as best we can, is bound to come with responsibility. We can't just abuse it for own selfish wants. We'd be no better than the gods that watch over us for their own amusement."

Ren's eyes suddenly fell to his hand, seeing the power that laid beneath the skin and to his soul. He smiled bitterly as he thought back to his countless lives before, 'Responsibility, huh? I guess I never thought about it like that.'

And from Jaune of all people? Well, it wasn't so surprising to hear that from the knight.

So, had he been acting on his own wants this entire time?

Saving the thought for another time, Ren decided to move on to another matter. There was still the matter he had originally called on Jaune for.

"You did something during your fight with Helios, something to force The Game to turn back the fabric of time to erase the event from everyone's minds, didn't you?" Ren said knowingly with a scowl. His head was still killing him. With his status as a Player, he still retained memory of before the turn back in time. And the action had given him a migraine. Roman and Adam were probably still reeling back from their minds suffering the side effects of The Game's doing. Knowing them, they were probably pissed.

Jaune nodded, "Helios was Falling before my eyes, so I decided to erase the source of his Corruption, just like I did with you. I dove into his Core and fought a piece of darkness that was messing with his emotions. I almost died too." Jaune weakly laughed as he scratched the back of his head, "But I'm use to that now. I was lucky to beat the boss at the end. It was touch and go for a while." Made him wonder if The Will had been meddling for his own goals. That sudden turnaround was too sudden and timed.

"You dove into his Core?" Ren said with his eyes slightly wide. He had heard Jaune do that before to save him from Falling. But it was still surprising to know he had that kind of ability.

"Apparently that's what my Title as The Heart is fully capable of once it reaches maturity. Husk was actually the one to flourish it." Jaune said with a complicated frown. The paper bag headed being puzzled him to no end. He found it hard to believe he was helping him for the reasons he stated.

'The ability to travel to other people's Cores. That truly is unique. Oum knows what he could be capable of with that kind of power.' It was better than his own matured ability as The Mind. It was that power that had saved him too.

When he had the chance, Ren was going to have to think more on what Jaune would be capable of with that kind of ability. The power to change hearts. It just might help in changing the events of the future to come. Maybe, just maybe, they could actually make a difference in the timeline.

For now, though, he would have to save the information for later. It was night time and he was eager to fall back in his bed and enter dreamland. He had his answer, there wasn't anything else he needed out of Jaune. Their matters on The Game was better saved for another day. They had the next three weeks off after all. They could discuss matters then.

'I think it's about time I help him make up his own notes on The Game. That way I don't have to keep answering his questions. I wonder if I still have access to my old journal?'

"Just warn me next time you do something like that. I would rather brace myself for the backlash then have it pop out of nowhere." Ren yawned as he rose up.

Jaune followed Ren as he stood up and popped his back. His wounds were pretty much healed now, but he was still sore from the ordeal. It was time for that hot bath and dinner he had been looking forward to.

"I can't make any promises. You never know what to expect as a Gamer." he said softly with a small chuckle as he looked back to the view of Beacon one more time.

But as Jaune dropped the Pause and followed Ren out the door, he was suddenly reminded of something. Shutting the door behind him, he opened up his Inventory and scrolled down until his eyes fell on a new item, gifted to him by Selena.

'Remnant's Collection of Fairy Tales[Gift]: An age-old book detailing old folklore tales of magic and heroics during and after The Great War. A book worth its weight in gold. Can be sold for a very high price, gifted to one who enjoys tales of heroes, or simply read.'

Something about the old worn book tickled the back of Jaune's head before he snapped his finger in realization. His mother had the same book back home! It contained some of his favorite stories from the after years of The Great War. It had been a long time since he thought back to it though. Made him wonder why Selena had given him the book.

'Fairy Tales, huh?' His mind was filled with the memories of a busty red-haired girl in a hood, a sadistic high-class porcelain princess, and a frisky golden locked gang leader. He shivered as he closed his inventory and continued on his way back to his team.

Well, he could brush up on the old book before bed. As…odd as the tales were, they did offer him some really cool abilities and items. And with his last three visits, he knew better than to wonder in the woods again.

What was the worst that could happen?

---

The drawing night closes a chapter in The Heart's first legitimate steps in a new, strange world. The life you gave has been restored for a purpose. What that purpose is remains a mystery. Power runs through your veins, the power to change. But when all is said and done, everything must return to Zero. Just what can you do against a set fate?

The time of devastation once again draws near. The sky will set and dark beasts will howl for blood. Will a history long gone repeat itself? Or will the heart to change finally end the cycle?

Life's just a game. You're not the only one who seeks an End.

BOOM! That's it, it's done! I hereby declare that Volume 1 of Multiplayer is complete! A year's worth of hard work has come to a close for now, reaching its completion. Again, this wasn't suppose to have last this long. If you've stuck around since the beginning, then you know that I had originally planned to close up the volume before Volume 4 of RWBY started. But nope! These fingers refused to finish this up. Which I'm actually happy for, so much of the new volume helped to flesh out my ideas better and fit in perfectly. So much has happened in this volume, a lot of which I hadn't originally planned. There were characters brought in that weren't in the original plans that were sorta just born and plans to the Arcs that just fell in. This story truly does have a mind of its own sometimes, I swear.

Now, let's finally discuss my departure fully. Because Multiplayer Volume 2 won't be updated until late October, maybe early November. I will be writing it out of course, but I want to have back up chapters like I did in the beginning. That and I need time to flesh out the next Volume better. But that doesn't mean the story won't be updated per say.

Remember the Lost Fairy Tale's DLC? Well, a Bonus chapter will be released next chapter focused on the world of Fey and one more Fairy Tale inspiration, but with a twist! It'll be a long one, no doubt, and might be released as a double chapter update if it's long. Why so long, you say? Well, that old book isn't just for giggles. Within in its. . .unique stories lies something special. And if Jaune continues venturing through its world, he might find something hidden away. Course, I can't say much else. That would be spoiling. For now, keep an eye out for the next update! It's my little gift to all of you for sticking around for so long too.

Back on topic. While I may be gone, that doesn't mean I won't be uploading anything story wise. This two month break is for Multiplayer, not my stories. In actuality, I'm taking two weeks off to enjoy myself without the stress of writing. The rest of the time after that will be focused on my other projects, which I will now announce!

A Jaune of All Trades will be released before October! For those of you who don't know, I released a series of one-shots for future stories in the new year. And the first one was A Jaune of All Trades, a story focused on Jaune in a world where the four kingdoms fell into a peace in a world no longer plagued by Grimm and the art of Aura lost to time. Without those two factors, the world changed drastically. The story will be an Adventure/Humor fic of course. It's inspired from a mix of Hitman Reborn and Gintama, two of my favorite serious yet hilarious mangas. The first chapter is already done with, but won't be released until I've completed three more chapters underway. Check out the one-shot if you're curious about the new story on my stories list. But do think of it like a manga one-shot, some things won't make it to the story once its up and might change. It's going to be a fun story, I tell ya that.

Next, there is a second story in the works. Well, two honestly and they're both crossover related. But I'm fighting on only publishing one, so that I'm not overdoing it with stories again. The first is a RWBY/Pokemon story that's already half way finished with its first chapter. I wanted to make a good crossover with Pokemon, because those are extremely hard to find! The only one I know who made a great example of a Pokemon fic and crossover would be the very man who got me into writing fanfiction, Kenchi618! Big fan and such, so I thought I could try my hand at it with RWBY. Now, the second crossover would be a RWBY/Fire Emblem Awakening story that is under development. I'm currently hashing out the ideas and plots to make it work in a way that makes sense and will begin writing it out at the end of my break. Don't worry, it won't another fic that has Team RWBY and Team JNPR suddenly dropped into the world of FE or vice versa, nor the characters already being characters in the story. I got something planned, although a bit cliché, but I believe it works.

Let me know which one sounds better. I'd really love some feedback from my fans on that.

And finally, I am announcing that I will be collaborating with my Beta, A Fan1204 on a fanfic. Not RWBY related though. Currently, we are discussing it out and how we should go about writing and splitting the work between ourselves. I don't know when it will be published, we're still working on writing out the first chapter, but it will be up before the end of the year. What story, you might ask? I won't say just yet, but I'll give you a hint with one single word.

Firebolt.

And on a completely different note not related to FF. I am planning on taking online classes on Programming along with Video Game Development. Why? Let's just say that I'm tired of keeping a certain story I've been mulling over and thinking over bottled up inside the old noggin. Just something I wanted to let ya'll know in case my uploading ever slows down.

The Multiplayer Journal is still being worked on and I plan to upload the Abilities, Skills, and Grimm Index to the forum by the end of next week, hopefully. I want it to be complete before Multiplayer Volume 2 is up. I just got to finish adding in all those little facts and descriptions, which is a lot harder than I had thought. And in case you didn't know, the forum is up under NeoShadows, called Multiplayer: Journals. It's small with only two posts, but it's there.

And before we finish up here, I just wanted to add in my Playstation 4 profile along with my Steam profile for those who still wish to reach me or even play and chat during my time off. For Playstation, I'm under SolNoche with a profile of black and red bull's eye marker. And as for my Steam Profile, I'm under NeoShadows with a profile picture of The Outsider's Mark from Dishonored. Just in case anyone ever wants to play some games, you know?

I believe that's everything. God damn, it took me a year to get this far. 600K+ and I'm only done with the first Volume. Sheesh, I got to cut back and aim for 15-19K+ at most. I don't know how you guys do it honestly. But I ain't done with this story, not after writing this much. Best believe I'm aiming on completing this story. Trust me, we got a whole lot more in store for Volume 2. The easy part's over. It's about to get hectic around here.

Out of curiosity, what were your favorite moments and OC's of the Volume? Let me know as we close up in the reviews!

But for now, Multiplayer is done. And all I ask of you all is to review and spread the word of this little story. Pfft! Little, that's funny considering its length. Go out and let the other people in search of a lengthy story full of humor, action, adventure, some romance, or a Gamer fic that's not cluttered with stats and technical junk, that Multiplayer is here to deliver its best. Just tell them to mind the first Arc, I still have to polish those first few chapters. Did I seriously spell Pyrrha as Pyrhaa?

Until our next update and October, Read and Review! It's common courtesy.

NeoShadows fading in and out.