We've passed 1k follows! From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much! Remember, I wouldn't be here without all you guys' support and inputs!

Second, sorry for the long wait, Uni's just started back up again. And full offline classes too, so that's a thing.

And, lastly, we've got one more chapter to go before the final showdown. Everything's building up, and in time, it'll blow.

Again, thanks for all the support, in all kinds!

On with the show!

Vernal watched the sun go down, standing on guard in front of Raven's tent. Not long after, the sun fully set and the rest of the tribe began their nightly preparations. She watched them all with a keen eye. They were all busy. Some were preparing food for the night, others were setting up guard posts and watch turns, and the rest were checking up their stock. Everyone had their role to play, their own strengths to make them the strongest of all.

Double-checking that no one was paying attention, she silently turned around and went inside Raven's tent. She let the tent drapes close behind her, making sure to note that no one could see inside. She walked inside and came to a stop before the Branwen tribe's leader.

Raven laid on her bed, bandages surrounding her chest and various forms of medicinal plants scattered on the nightstand next to her bed. She gazed blankly upwards, not looking at anything. However, she stirred once she recognised that Vernal came near.

Raven rolled her head and looked at Vernal. Vernal's eyes softened.

"I brought them here, Chief Branwen." Vernal pulled out Aura syringes out of her pockets and held them in front of Raven.

The Beacon graduate chuckled. "I knew I could count on you." She offered her arm to Vernal. "Well then, do it."

Vernal nodded wordlessly and took up her offered arm. Rolling her leader's sleeve, she stabbed the Aura syringe into her leader's arms and emptied its entire contents into Raven.

A glow surrounded Raven as Aura entered her body. Once it was empty, Vernal pulled the syringe out and stabbed another one in again, proceeding to empty that one too. They did this over and over until Vernal ran out of stock. In the end, vernal huffed and pulled the last one free, Raven's wound closing automatically by the now-refuelled Aura. Vernal tossed the last syringe behind her.

"Are you back to 100%?" Vernal asked her leader.

Raven smirked and flexed her fingers. The wounds in her chest had finally begun to fully close, as well as the other wounds she had sustained during her fight with Raiden. The ex-Huntress rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck. She opened her fingers again and watched it with intensity, pouring her powers into it.

A fire flickered into view. She focused and the fire dissipated, turning into a sharp shard of ice. Then, she focused again and the ice melted away. She closed her fingers and swept her hand in a wide arc around them. A chilling breeze swept around inside the tent, shaking its tarps and almost blowing the entrance open to see.

"I will need to train." Raven muttered to herself. "Familiarise myself even more with the Spring Maiden powers, so he wouldn't even stand a chance."

"…Chief?"

Raven steeled her resolve and looked at Vernal dead in the eyes. "Tell the men to pack their bags in the morning. Tomorrow, we set off to Mistral. We'll meet Leonardo on the way, so we can plan ahead again."

Vernal noted the different tone Raven held. Conviction, urgency… and was that panic? "Chief-."

"No arguments." Raven said coldly. "We'll need to finish him to survive. Kill him then and there, no matter the cost."

"There is no other choice. It's either him or us."

"I'm going to need you to watch the Fang."

"The Fang?" Jaune turned his head to Raiden. The samurai was sitting casually on the floor, back resting against the wall. The two of them were still in that dinky sewer opening, not moving since the news of… well, the news. Jaune tried to put it behind him as best he can. He'll make sure that Tai's death won't be for naught.

But until then, he'll do his best to move forward. Save the present, and honour the past.

"Yeah." Raiden answered, still typing away on his data terminal. He continued, still entirely focused on his task. "They're scattered around the Kingdom. I need you to trace them down and get a listen in on their plans."

"Gotcha." Jaune got up from his sitting position and brushed himself off. He made sure that HF Murasama was still strapped to his hip. He rolled his shoulders and did some warm-up bounces. "What about you, Raiden?"

"I'm gonna get an eye on the black-market assignments." Raiden answered. "The place where Beryl got her missions."

"And you're gonna get there by tailing a suspect?"

"Got it in one." Raiden answered. "Since Leo's hands are dirty, maybe we can get a lead over there too."

"Hm…" Jaune finished his bounces and put a hand on HF Murasama. "Be careful, okay? We've only got the two of us now."

Raiden stayed silent, his fingers freezing for a moment. He took a deep breath and exhaled. Then, he continued typing and answered Jaune.

"I'll make sure to keep out of sight. Shadows only."

"Do your best."

"I'll try. And speaking of best..." Raiden finished his typing and turned to face Jaune. "You might want to get to Jade's before tailing the Fang. Your stuff should be ready by now."

"Heh, about time!" Jaune chuckled and threw his hands up in happiness. "I mean, no offense to Jade, but I'd rather get my usual arm back now. And the suit, too."

"But he won't know about what we're doing right now." Raiden added, "So just keep his knowledge in the bare minimum."

"Should I tell him you're alive?"

"…Only just."

"Alright then." Jaune chuckled again and shook his head, turning around to head outside. "Meet back here at?"

"Midnight should be good."

"Okay." Jaune nodded. He cracked his knuckles and rushed away from their hiding spot, running as fast as he can. "Don't you die on me, Jack!"

Raiden chuckled as Jaune disappeared. He stepped away from the data terminal and started packing his stuff for deployment. HF Crocea? Check. Dust shards? Check. A dark coat he managed to snag to cover himself? Check. Throwing knives as a precaution? Check.

With that finished, Raiden donned his attire and turned off the data terminal. Before he left, he looked over everything one last time. Best to note what was there and wasn't before leaving.

Eventually, his gaze wandered to the locked iron door. Raiden couldn't help himself and approached it, peering through the iron bars like Jaune did last night. And, of course, he could see Beryl, still chained and drained of energy.

Raiden kept his gaze on her, and yet she didn't even stir. Raiden was tempted to scoff, but he stayed silent. He mulled his thoughts on what had just happened over the last few days.

And what did he find? It's a truth that he can't deny.

Hunters were necessary. If he didn't step in and saved Higanbana, who knows how long they'd be under Beryl's foot? And even if they were liberated, who would ensure that the village would still be clean enough to run? Who knows how long until someone found out about Leonardo? Who'd take down the rouge powers, people like Soma and Raven, those that feasted on the weak outside the Kingdoms?

And lastly, how many more villages would be torn apart by the Grimm, while those in the Kingdoms sat back on their comfy chairs and watched others suffer?

No, they were necessary. The world needed them, had use for him and Jaune.

But that wasn't how it was supposed to be, and he's certain Jaune thought so too. They were happy to do what they do, and yet they weren't happy that they needed to exist. But in this case, the many needed the few. And that needed to change. He'll acknowledge their need, but he'll work so it's not achieved like how it is now. He won't use a single drop of sweat from those kids' hands.

But even so…

To take advantage of the needs of many to ensure your own survival? That's something the two of them could never let go.

The first thing that Jaune did after getting out of the sewers was head to Jade's. As Raiden had told him, the tinkerer had immediately welcomed him back and fitted him with his new equipment. New nanomachines, repaired suits, and a shining white-painted arm.

Jaune flexed his right fingers experimentally, sitting on a chair Jade had prepped. He smirked as they moved well, exceeding his expectations.

"You're the best, Jade." Jaune said to the tinkerer, who had his back to him tidying things back up. Jade smiled in response, even if Jaune couldn't see it.

"Don't expect anything less!" Jade laughed. "I mean, yeah it did take some time, but like always, I manage to crack it eventually."

"And it certainly paid off. Which reminds me." Jaune unhooked Ren's Dad's bow from his back and put it in front of Jade. "Can you take a look at this?"

Jade picked up the bow and gave it a once-over. "Hm… sure thing! Looks like a classic animal hunter's bow. You got any idea for enhancements?"

"Not really, to be honest…" Jaune trailed off. "Maybe make Dust infused arrows?"

Jade put the bow down and nodded. "I could work with that. But it's going to cost you." He chuckled. "Can't keep doing this for free, after all."

"Money shouldn't be a problem" Jaune waved him off. "I'll pay any rate you ask, you're the best around."

Jaune finished and stood up, making his way outside. Just before he opened the door, however, he stopped and looked back at Jade.

Jaune sharpened his gaze as Jade looked at him too. In just a moment, Jade understood the serious situation and put on a serious face, all sense of jovialness gone.

"Jade," Jaune began, "Be careful. Things are heating up."

Jade nodded. "Heh, don't you worry, I'll keep an eye out for any trouble." Then, the tinkerer smirked. "Give Raiden my regards."

Jaune chuckled. "No worries."

After that, Jaune exited Jade's area and jumped up to a rooftop. He mentally reviewed what he knew about the White Fang. They had to be Faunus, of course. But he can't jump the gun based on that fact alone. Even if they had suspicious body language, that didn't make them a member of the White Fang per se.

No, what every fighter had in common was something else. It was how they looked at their surroundings. Always ready, and eyes sharpened as to the possibility of the world turning on them in a second.

With that in mind, Jaune started looking around from above the streets, making sure to not be spotted by the odd security cameras up above.

On the first street he looked, things were rather calm. Humans and Faunus mingled about, no sense of hostility in sight. They all minded their own business. "Huh, probably not over here…"

Jaune jumped to another block, looking around this one too. This time, there was the odd group here and there hanging around out-of-the-way alleys, some dark from being covered by multiple-storey buildings. And, unsurprisingly, these people were wearing clothes that hid their attributes well.

"Hoodies, baggy pants, masks and balaclavas…" Jaune sighed and shook his head. "Why do I have to deal with these kinda guys again?"

Nevertheless, he kept his eyes on them as they conversed. Some of them flashed guns to their friends, others knives and swords. Thugs who didn't know how to properly use the weapons in their hands.

He almost completely tuned them out when his ears perked up on the magic words.

"So you guys seen the new Fang around here?"

Jaune's lips quirked upwards and he leaned in with interest. Finally, something that wasn't actual trash.

"Yeah, I'm thinkin' on joinin' em soon." One of them spoke up. "They've been really aggressive lately. Just how I like it."

"Yeah. Lotta the other guys are sayin' they're planning somethin' big. Gearing up around here, setting up posts and escape routes…"

Oh? So looks like he just hit the jackpot. If this is the Fang's new target territory, then there must be something that they're looking for here, right?

With that, Jaune pulled back and started surveying this block and its surroundings. And of course, what he heard was dead on the money. While patrolling, he found suspicious Faunus with Grimm-inspired masks hanging from their hips. Other suspicious Faunus were wearing bulletproof vests beneath their clothes and had bladed weapons strapped to their backs. They all looked at the innocent crowd wearily, jumpy and nervous. And yet, as soon as they saw another one of their belief, they relaxed and made 'innocent' small talk. Where they'd meet next, what their new plans were, etcetera etcetera.

And yet, Jaune could definitely see what the White Fang saw in this place, its strategic value. This was, after all, the luxury district. It was filled with jewelry stores, high-quality Dust merchants, imported foods, an elite-class mall, Hunter-class weapon vendors, and so much more.

But then, abruptly, Jaune stopped in his running patrol and took note of the building in front of him. His eyes narrowed as he noted one thing in his search. This was the luxury district, right? Then that hotel looked hauntingly familiar…

No, he can't let her get in the crossfire.

Or maybe…

Jaune's eyes narrowed. Maybe the White Fang wasn't after the district's goods at all. Maybe they were ignoring the weapons, the Dust, the food… all to get their hands on a young girl. Their revenge, inflicting pain on his sister.

Jaune forcefully shook his head and cleared his thoughts. Whether or not that was true, he didn't exactly know…

But none of them can survive past tonight.

Jaune waited patiently until the sun went down. And, as expected, the White Fang started to gather around as darkness started to cover the city. They went into out-of-the-way alleys, little hidey holes and pro-White Fang establishments to hide their movements as best they can. They ditched their normal clothing and switched it up to their uniform. Black clothing and armour, paired with stark white Grimm-inspired masks.

All in all, Jaune noted around 40-ish men and women scattered about. He watched from the rooftops just like before, and raised an eyebrow at their movements. "Patrols, huh?" Looks like they were scattered now, maybe to flee the law as quickly as they could if it was necessary. "Or maybe scouting out the new area…."

Jaune's lips quirked upwards. "Ah, and there we go…" Jaune saw a group of three split off from larger numbers and went down the typical shadey alley. Trailing along from the rooftops, Jaune paused as the three stopped and approached the back entrance of a warehouse. "Interesting…"

The three of them looked around and noticed that no one was around them. They looked up, and Jaune ducked just in time to dodge their vision. As they turned back to the door, Jaune got back up and looked down.

One of them gave the door a specific series of knocks and smiled as the door's viewport opened. After some time, the viewport closed back and they went inside, the door locked behind them. After waiting for a few seconds to make sure they were truly inside, Jaune jumped down and approached the door. He rubbed his chin as he gave the steel door a good look.

"Awfully simple… Shouldn't be much of a challenge." Jaune knelt beneath the viewport and gave it the same knock the ones he followed did.

And, sure enough, he heard the viewport sliding open above him. His lips quirked upwards as the guard spoke out.

"Must have been nothing."

Jaune took that as his queue and drew his sword. He stabbed it straight at the door and through the guard behind it, HF enhancement piercing clean through the metal.

Jaune got up and stared into the guard's shocked eyes. Wide, surprised, unmoving. Jaune tightened his grip on HF Murasama and pushed hard against the door shoulder first. He easily burst through as the door fell with a loud clang. Jaune pulled his sword free and stepped inside the room, flicking HF Murasma free of blood.

The samurai eyed the inside of the room as he walked in. The three White Fang members from before, all ready for a fight with their weapons drawn. More than that, they seemed to huddle protectively around a table with papers and Scrolls scattered about.

'Jackpot.' Jaune twirled his sword. He relaxed his stance and pointed his sword at the first mook. Then the second, then the third. "I'll only need one of you alive to tell me what's going on." Jaune smirked. "So, you really feel like fighting?"

The three of them charged.

Jaune shook his head with his lips in a smirk. Some things never change.

The samurai titled his body to the side and dodged a knife stab. The knife wielder flipped his grip on his knife and went for a reverse stab at Jaune's head. The samurai easily caught the hand before he could reach him. The knife wielder tried to pull away, but it was no use. Jaune pulled him close and stabbed him straight through the heart.

Jaune heard another shout from behind him. Without even turning around, he kicked the second mook away and heard her skid back. Pulling his sword free, he turned around and dashed to the second mook. Before she could react, she was already sliced clean in two.

Bang!

A shot bounced off his metal arm. Jaune barely flinched. He chuckled as he slowly turned around, staring the final White Fang member dead in the eye.

The mook was trembling, his handgun shaking in his hands.

"Heh, bad shot, man."

"S-stay back-!"

He was interrupted when Jaune appeared in front of him and grabbed him in a chokehold. The samurai tightened his grip and slammed the man against the wall. The wall cracked behind him, as did his bones.

"Ack!"

"Now…" Jaune began sweetly. "What're your plans here exactly?"

"Funds to…ack-! Run our operations..." the White Fang mook whispered out.

"That all?" Jaune asked again. "Come on, give me something more here."

"P-please…" Jaune's opponent whispered. His hands weakly scrubbed at Jaune's metallic grip. The samurai didn't budge one bit. Instead, he tightened his grip ever so slowly.

"Come on, I'm waiting."

The White Fang mook panicked, his eyes briefly shooting to the table from before from desperation. Unfortunately, Jaune recognised this. The samurai chuckled as he tilted his head away from the mook to look at that table.

Ah, so the intel was there.

Jaune chuckled as the final White Fang member froze in horror, realising the info he just leaked. He panicked even more, his hands uselessly scrubbing against Jaune's metal arm. "No, wait!"

Jaune smiled and looked the mook dead in the eye. His eyes crinkled upwards, a smile on his face. "Guess that's all I needed to know~"

"No, please-!"

Crack!

Jaune crushed the mook's throat. Jaune didn't flinch as he loosened his grip and the body fell lifelessly to the ground.

"Can't let any of 'em know…"

Jaune turned around and approached the table. He laid out the papers there and looked them over, putting the Scrolls aside for later.

"Hm… so they were sending people to one Adam Taurus in Vale, huh…" Jaune continued to read, "General Adam Taurus, head of The White Fang's Vale branch. Looks like here he's pretty extreme. Terror attacks, extortion, and a recent robbery spree in collaboration with Roman Torchwick…" Jaune's eyes narrowed. "His main obstacles are the Arc unit..." Jaune sighed and shook his head in dismay. "and Teams RWBY and JNPR."

Jaune flipped the papers over as well as turned on the Scrolls, looking for more information. Dock incident, a clash between RWBY-JNPR and the White Fang Roman Torchwick. Massive bank robbery, foiled by Jasmine, and Indigo. Paladin deployment, taken down by RWBY and JNPR!?

And finally, the Arc Mansion attack, initiated by Adam Taurus. Enemy casualties, one Jaune Arc.

"This is worse than I thought…" So this 'Adam Taurus' was the root of the problem...?

Jaune shook his head. No. He had a feeling that wasn't it. After all, why would a Headmaster bow down to a relatively less powerful terrorist organisation when he has almost the entire kingdom at his beck and call? They have to be working for someone higher, that he can't deny.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps. Snapping back to reality, he left the table behind and hid himself carefully in the shadow at the edges of the room.

Not long after, a group burst into the room. Ten White Fang members, dressed head-to-toe in heavy duty combat gear. Assault rifles, shotguns, and machine guns were all ready to fire.

"What happened here?!" One of them shouted. They glanced around, noting the dead bodies everywhere. And, most of all, the scattered papers and the idling Scrolls.

"That Scroll's screen hasn't shut down yet! The attacker can't be far!"

Jaune swore under his breath.

"Search the area! We can't let him get away!"

The White Fang began looking around. The samurai did his best to stay hidden. The fact that many of the Faunus have night-vision didn't help either, reducing the effectiveness of hiding in the shadows. As such, he had to make do by jumping up to the ceiling and tiptoeing above the bars.

Jaune walked closer to the edge of the room, while the White Fang members passed below him. He patiently held his breath, keeping his footsteps as silent as possible. Stealth wasn't his strong suit by far, but he'd rather not leave a trail of bodies in his wake.

But then, as the exit became visible, Jaune froze. His breath was caught in his throat, and he barely managed himself from stumbling off the bars.

He saw a pair of blue eyes peek from the door, analysing the room and the White Fang. He saw her having her handgun ready, a sword barely visible on her other hand.

Dammit, what was Scarlet doing here?!

Cursing beneath his breath again, Jaune hastened his steps and stopped right above the door. Looking down again, he saw that the White Fang was still looking away, and Scarlet was still looking at their backs. Taking a deep breath, he jumped down, rushed to Scarlet, and put his hands on her throat.

"M-mmf!"

"Stay shut!" Jaune whispered.

"Who's there?!"

'Fuck!' Jaune gripped Scarlet tight and dragged her outside, going to the right and pressing their backs against the wall. That way, they were just out of sight from the door's viewpoint.

"What are you doing here?!" Jaune whispered to Scarlet. He let his right hand ease just a bit over his mouth, just enough so she could speak.

"What are you doing here?!" Scarlet whispered back.

'Damn it, this isn't the time!' Jaune thought frantically. "I'm looking for something, things' are getting dangerous around here. You could get hurt!"

"Circle back! Check the door again!"

"So-so you were the one that killed them?!" Scarlet almost shouted. She saw the inside of that warehouse, there were corpses everywhere! Sliced and diced by a sword, blood pooling around them…

"Shut it!" Jaune clamped her mouth shut again and forced her back. They waited with bated breath as the guard approached. They can't escape, lest they be seen and chased. For the third time that night, Jaune cursed. Damn it, no other choice now.

The footsteps grew louder and louder, the sound of moving guns clicking heavier and heavier. Jaune stayed still, forcing Scarlet to do so as well.

Click, clack. Click, clack.

The guard stepped outside the door.

He turned to the right.

Jaune let Scarlet go and lunged.

Scarlet took a knee and gasped for breath. She could hear her brother struggle against the White Fang member, punches, kicks, and throws thrown at each other.

"THEY'RE OVER HERE-ACK!"

She watched in horror as her brother drew his sword and slashed at the White Fang's neck.

Aura didn't help the guard, and blood splattered everywhere.

The White Fang member slumped to the ground.

Dead. Dead dead dead.

"THEY'RE OUTSIDE! GO GO GO!"

Scarlet saw Jaune grit his teeth. He tensed, and pieces of metal deployed around his neck and covered his ears. The process ended with a metal mask deploying in front of his nose and mouth.

Jaune flourished his sword and gripped its hilt tight. As the White Fang rushed the two, so did Jaune.

She could only step back in horror, in fear, as Jaune engaged the enemy. They didn't even stand a chance. Their bullets bounced off uselessly, their claws doing nothing but scratching the fabric of his stained suit. Aura didn't help either. They glowed, but they were still cut in half. Cut open, lifeless eyes in their heads as they fell to the ground.

Scarlet stumbled back, falling on her backside as she covered her mouth with her hands. Her eyes were wide. The sounds of battle started to fade out, replaced with screams of terror and death.

Scarlet felt her breath getting shorter and shorter, her vision blurrier and blurrier.

And then, it all stopped. She could see Jaune finish his work and turn towards her. He reached his hand out to her, from inside that death room.

Scarlet scrambled back.

Jaune's eyes looked down, dismayed. His arm fell to his side, shoulders slumping in sadness.

But there was no denial.

Suddenly, his head shot up. He looked behind her, and Scarlet, seeing her brother do so, did so as well. Together, they could hear sirens approaching. The police must be coming, must be from the gunshot sounds.

Suddenly, before she could look back, she felt cold metal hands wrap around her mouth. Another hand, this one flesh, lifted her by her back. Before she could react, she felt a pull.

In a flash, brother and sister were gone.

Jaune and Scarlet fell abruptly at the side of a river running through the centre of Mistral, on a pedestrian walkway lonely in the middle of the night. Across from them, besides a river, was a large colosseum-like building, Jaune steadied his breath and settled Scarlet down.

"Scar. Are you okay?!"

Scarlet nodded mutely.

Jaune let go of her and sighed. She stumbled into the wooden floor, scrambling to a pedestrian chair and heaving breaths.

"Let it all out." Jaune said. He turned his back away from her and leaned against the railing blocking the river. No sounds of sirens, they were far enough away. Then, he spoke again in a gentle tone, "It's not easy looking for the first time."

"W-what…" Scarlet managed to get out, "What was that?"

"That was a battle." Jaune said. "And it's what we do."

"What you do?!" Scarlet gasped. "You mean…"

Jaune nodded to himself. "Thousands." And he lost count long ago.

"I-Why?!-How could you?!" Scarlet screamed. "They were people! They may have been the Fang, but that doesn't make it right!"

"And what do you want me to do? Bring them to the cops?" Jaune chuckled humourlessly. "I'm dead, Scar. Besides, there's a lot more going on than you think. I can't risk anything, least of all you."

"And that's your excuse?!" Scarlet couldn't believe it. Her very own brother-! "Just because it's convenient?!"

"IT'S WHAT AWAITS ALL OF US!"Jaune screamed back. Scarlet almost froze, but decided to hear her brother out.

"Scarlet…" Jaune gasped out. "This is the endgame for fighters, for warriors like us. The moment you're tossed into something out of your control… the moment the only way is to kill another… then it won't stop. One becomes two. Two becomes ten. Ten becomes a hundred. Eventually, you'll lose count, and everything just becomes a rush to get addicted to." Jaune chuckled bitterly. "Just like me."

"Then at least regret it!" Scarlet responded. "Make yourself better, improve every single day! That's what got you through Beacon, wasn't it?!"

"I can't!" Jaune denied. "This is who I am now, I'll always fight. I'll always be… whatever I am now. Ever since the day Master died…." He took a deep breath and composed himself. "Scarlet… this is what I don't want for anyone else. So please… give up."

Scarlet's mouth fell open. Did he mean what she thought he meant?! "What?"

Jaune turned to her, eyes pleading and tone begging. "Turn back. Leave the Huntress life far, far away while you still can. Toss the gun and the sword away. It'll do you no good. Pick it back up…" Jaune turned around threw HF Murasama to the ground, stabbing it into the wooded floor, hilt facing Scarlet. Its bloodstained were clearly visible, somehow enhanced by the sword's glow.

It lay there, right between brother and sister in the rainy night.

"And blood will come to you just like it came to me."

"…."

"Please…"

"What happened to you?" Scarlet whispered. Her eyes were full of emotions. Grief, disappointment, sadness, horror. "This isn't how this is supposed to be."

Jaune couldn't stand it. He cast his eyes down to the ground. 'I know.' His mouth moved.

"You sound just like how Dad did…" He could hear her stand up and take steps to turn away. She cast a final look at her brother. "The brother I knew would never give up."

With her last sentence spoken, she left her brother alone.

Jaune sighed, leaning deeper into the railing. He didn't bother picking HF Murasama back up, not even bothering to recognise its existence. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to steady himself, his body shaking.

He let out his breath. It didn't help him one bit.

He felt a drop of water fall on his hair. Then another, then much more. It had started to rain, and yet he couldn't draw the strength to move. Slowly, his entire body became soaked from head to toe, the white noise of rain a good distraction from the truth. He idly moved his metallic right hand, tried to flex his fingers. They didn't budge one bit.

Jaune stared blankly at his fingers, then to nothing at the river water. After all, what did he even have left?

A bright source of light came from in front of him, a screen plastered high on the colosseum wall. It shone brightly on his face, the only source of light that he recognised in the dark of the night.

Jaune looked up.

On the screen, he saw the logo of the Vytal Festival Championship. It split, into the symbol of the four Kingdoms.

He watched it blankly, having nothing else to do. Then, the screen shifted again and displayed the following words.

Vytal Tournament Introductions

Team JNPR

"Hello again, the people of Remnant, and welcome back to the Vytal Tournament Introductions. I am your host, Lavender, and today we will be introducing one of the top teams from Beacon, team JNPR."

The scene changed to a showcase of his team's abilities. Like the White Fang intel said, they took them head-on, stopped various crimes around the city… "As you can see, Team JNPR is more experienced than your average Hunter-in-Training team. Consisting of leader Pyrrha, the darling star of Mistral, as well as exemplary students Ren and Nora, they've stopped numerous robberies, saved countless lives, and were instrumental in minimising the Vale breach that happened just a short while ago. They were formerly led by one Jaune Arc, but after his unexpected passing, Pyrrha has taken up the mantle of leader, and some say she's done as best as he could."

"So tell me." The scene shifted again, to show Lavender hosting an interview with team JNPR. "How did all of you become so skilled?"

"Well, we train day and night to improve our skills, Miss Lavender." Pyrrha responded with a smile. "After all, there's always room for improvement, many ways to get stronger."

"And why would you want such a thing?" Lavender asked back. "As it stands, you are already one of the best in Beacon, only shadowed by Team RWBY, and that's no small feat. Is there a particular motivation that sets you apart from the rest?"

"We've had… a great loss." Ren answered. "We just don't want it to happen to anyone else."

"This is our purpose now! Our drive!" Nora followed up with a chipper tone. "We'll get stronger, fight all forms of evils!... So no one else has to!"

"Jaune was… a great friend." Pyrrha said. "And justice needed to be served, the proper way."

"Well, there you have it, everyone. One of Beacon's brightest and strongest, coming at you in the Vytal Tournament coming in the next few weeks. Stay tuned for more!"

The screen died, and turned back on to loop the video again.

Jaune scoffed. So they want power, seek the right form of justice?

Fools, the lot of them.

The moment you pick up a weapon is the moment you've already lost.

A spiral of bad decisions, that or circumstance? You decide.

Honestly I'm a bit tempted to change the humour tag in the story, since it's not coming anytime soon. Still, there are bits and pieces…

Other than that, I've got an announcement to make. I think I've said this before, but there are some characters that I'm "bringing back from the dead", so to speak. To prevent too much of this and turning this into something akin to a fix-it fic (which I don't want), I've decided to make a poll. The top two will be included in the story. The current candidates are:

Kazuhira Miller

The Boss

Summer Rose

Akira Nishikiyama

Of course, these people play different roles in the story. I mean, can you imagine Kaz fighting? Some will be aligned with our protagonists, others will serve as antagonists first, and others will serve as motivational pieces for the protagonists. Sorry, but I can't spoil their roles just yet.

As always, leave your thoughts in the reviews!

See you next time!

Review Responses:

To dovah117, I'm sorry, but both of those things are still gonna take a while. But this arc is coming to a close soon. Thanks for reading!

To cortescen, glad to hear that! Thanks for still stickin' around!

To zakuzilla, thanks!

To ThanoSstinks, yeah, that's right! Majima's raid on Dojima HQ, to be exact (the final one before the Awano fight). Don't worry, there will be bloodshed.

To ProfessorZooms, and this chapter even more so (to a degree, I guess. Yakuza/Kiwami 2.)

To Greer123, no problem! Glad you enjoyed it!

To Victorious 435, glad you enjoyed it! And yeah, that'll come real soon.

To GateMaster31, no, no! He's still kicking, I assure you.

To Kabuto S. Inferno, as you can see from the polls, I know you can make your own conclusions on who's gonna be what from the Grimm pools. And with Jaune's outburst and this chapter, I wanted to explore his current view of battle and his relationship with fighting. He picked up his sword, even when he was told not to. He became the strongest, became so good he didn't even have to try most of the time. And where did that get him? A broken man with nothing left. Of course, not everyone's gonna take his word. As always, thanks for reading, and hope the best for you!

To SolSparda369, Yeah, like I said. Things are going to shit, and it's just a matter of time till everything blows up. And then, it'll be up to our trio to handle it.

To UnlawfulGentleman,so you saw through that, huh? Well, it's not that surprising. Like I said before, no change is instant. I'm not making Jaune to instantly become a better person. That has to be built up, and that's his current arc. Thanks for reading this story, and hope you enjoyed the chapter!

To Dhestyram, thanks!

To Big E, pffft! Nice one!

To Guest (1), of course he is.

To Lord-Azrael3, hope this satisfied!

To Arkantarasia, glad you liked it! As for their meeting, I'm still a bit confused on how I'm gonna play it out, maybe like here, or something else, I dunno.

To Mattysteel, thanks for reading, and stay tuned for that!

To ThyDevoutBeliever, Nah, Tai's not dead. We're seeing this through Raiden and Jaune's POV, after all. He's still around, dontchu worry.

To Salamandra134, this arc's coming to a close, I'll give you that. And about that link, I can't open it… maybe it's blocked on my end…?

To Gonsmoss, glad you liked it so far, and that everything I wanted to convey reached out! Again, glad you liked it!

To BoredZero, :)

To xXKnow1NosXx, that's a-okay! Hope you find what you're looking for!