"For our next round, we have Ruby of team RWBY facing Cardin of team CRDL." Glynda called out from her position on the stage. She stood at the center, near the edge, her scroll cradled in her arm as she looked between the two contestants. Ruby seemed amused by the announcement, while Cardin was jeering with his team. The change in schedule was somewhat unwelcome to Glynda, but given Ozpin's reluctance to discipline the rowdy young man, and her own personal misgivings about his cruelty, she figured this might as well be cathartic for her. "The standard rules; fight until your aura breaks, or you're unable to fight at all."

Ruby separated from her crowd of friends and slipped through the gathered students, approaching the ring and then hauling herself up over the side. She passed by Glynda and offered the huntress a small smirk before pivoting on her heel to walk backwards to her starting point. Cardin did much of the same, but plowed through those who didn't have the time to get out of his way. He scrambled onto the ring, his armor and weapon clanging and banging as he did so. He stomped over to his side of the room with a swagger, leering at Ruby the entire time.

Glynda glanced down at her display, noting the aura levels in both combatants. Seeing everything was fine she turned and walked between the two, taking up position opposite the crowded students. All those that were earmarked to fight today were on the ground floor, but scattered among the bleachers all around were kids from under sections, or just those who'd missed out on combat training. They looked on with interest, some like vultures, curious as to how bruised and bloodied the combatants would become.

When she reached the opposite side she asked if the two were ready. They nodded and the Huntress held up her arm for ready. After a five count she dropped her arm, and halfway through Cardin began to lumber forward.

He carried his mace on his shoulder, and as the massive boy closed the distance he started twisting back to slam his weapon down on the girl. Ruby, as she always did, had her hands in her pockets with her shoulders square. With her hood down and her normal all-black gear she cut an impressive figure. She bore less of the spark of individuality the others had, she lacked accents and flair, and had substituted it with practical cloth. Ozpin would find it disappointing, but Glynda found it bracing. It showed experience.

The overhead swing Cardin had telegraphed on national television came as scheduled, landing right beside Ruby, who'd stepped around it and kicked at Cardin's knee. The red-haired man's weapon was too large, too heavy to easily shift, and he was unable to adjust his stance enough. There was a dull thud as the steel toe impacted just above where Cardin's greaves ended. The man grunted, and his aura held, but he staggered to the side, twisting his body on his strong leg, leaving his mace arm to the side. As he moved he tried to lift his weapon but he was again impeded by its size, and as it rose from the ground he wobbled, and again Ruby struck his same leg. This time the sound of her boot hitting his leg was louder, meatier, and the exhalation of air from the girl was loud enough for all to hear.

Glynda was reminded of the fight between Cardin and Stella Jay, and the fact the bout had Ruby's rapt attention at the beginning of the semester. Stella had nearly tested in despite having no aura and thus no semblance, only an extremely robust fighting style. She'd dealt with Cardin by being faster and more methodical, she never got so much as a scrape despite facing someone who was clearly much stronger than her. By the end of that match Jay had him on the ground, but Glynda had to make the call. It was too dangerous for Stella, even if she was a martial genius. Ruby might not have the same technical ability, but she aped it well enough, and she was by far stronger and faster than Stella could hope to be.

The second blow was enough to enrage Cardin, and with impressive strength he swung his weapon at Ruby as he stumbled. The weapon was aimed at her head, and the girl raised one hand while summoning her axe in the other. Dropping the axe, she intercepted the mace where the handle met its blades, and with a flash of red the weapon disappeared. The petals that it turned in to were tinged orange, and they flowed behind Ruby's back before being ejected past her right hand, skittering along the dueling platform away from them.

"A smart man would quit now." Ruby said conversationally, hooking her thumbs on her pockets as Cardin regained his balance. "But I'm not so sure you're a smart man."

"Fuck you!" Cardin shouted, lunging at Ruby again. The girl stood her ground as he crashed into her, shifting forward so that she caught his hands and held him back. Cardin struggled to force her to her knees, and Ruby's grin was strained and wild. All could see how Ruby's muscles tensed under her fitted shirt, the definition in her arms showing as she pushed Cardin back. "Freak!" Cardin spat, his spittle flecking onto Ruby's cheeks, the girl's expression souring into a stony glare.

Glynda thought about stepping in, this wasn't exactly following her combat protocol, but realized it wasn't necessary. Ruby, with deliberate slowness, dropped Cardin's left hand, and shot her fist up, crashing a strike into his neck, below his chin. The man immediately fell, coughing, into the space Ruby had just occupied. The girl hadn't used her semblance, but was standing behind Cardin as he landed on his hands and knees. He had his aura, so the blow hadn't done any lasting damage, but the man was temporarily stunned. That faux damage was swiftly fixed as Ruby placed a knee on his back, reached down, and hooked her arm around his neck. Pulling back with her body and pushing down with her leg she wrenched him back, applying force to his neck. Glynda glanced down and saw that Cardin's aura was still strong, he hadn't taken that many blows, but knew that if Ruby strangled him his aura would deplete instantly as he lost consciousness. She could wait, and validate the match, but this wasn't he olden days and the man was already looking a little purple. It was explicitly disallowed to put another's life at risk, and while you could certainly put someone in a headlock, yes even a choke hold, Cardin was clearly unable to tap out. His fingers clawed at her arm, pushed against the ground to keep himself up. He was panicking, badly, and Ruby showed no signs of dropping him.

"Ruby Rose." Her voice carried admonishment, and as the words left her lips the young woman let go of Cardin, stepping off his back and brushing herself off. The ginger fell to the ground and coughed into the floor, the action rattling his chest. He hadn't gone more than a few seconds without oxygen, but Ruby had done a fair amount of damage in that short time. Glynda winced as the young man tried and failed to right himself, only managing to roll himself over onto his back. There was a commotion off the side of the stage as the rest of team CRDL climbed up, looking warily between Cardin and Ruby. The girl didn't seem at all apprehensive of their approach, only looking at Glynda with an inscrutable expression.

Ruby had felled Cardin in less than half a minute, without her weapon. This was a task anyone in their third year probably could have accomplished, Cardin wasn't the most gifted fighter, but for a first year it was definitely a show of strength.

"We both know I could." Ruby whispered with an arched brow. "And they probably deserve it."

Glynda could have conceded the point but didn't verbalize it. In her youth, before Ozpin switched to more… Gentle methods, she would have been praised for what she'd done. But then they changed their strategy, Oz called for them to be more than just soldiers, and the brutality had come to a close. Glynda's next words reflected that change in rationale: "Ruby Rose, you've broken the rules of engagement, you lose on technicality."

Ruby sighed, nodded, and left the stage. She stepped down into the crowd and wove a path to her team. Some of them seemed a little surprised, more by the ruling than by how Ruby fought. Given that Glynda, was curious how Ruby had gained such a formidable reputation among such a small subset of peers. Perhaps she should have Ruby perform more often, or maybe the Huntress should visit the training sessions RWBY had without school permission to see just what those four were doing.

Glynda blinked and looked down at her scroll, she was getting a bit too distracted in front of the students. She cleared her throat in order to gain the attention of the students, interrupting the whispers of those in the crowd and among the bleachers. She eyed the progress that the rest of team CRDL were making dragging their leader away before calling for the next pair of contestants: "Weiss Schnee of team RWBY, and Jaune Arc of team PNRJ."