"I fucking knew it was those assholes," Yang slammed her hand down on the desk so hard that Jaune thought it would crack. "They're toast."
They'd all gathered together to discuss what they were going to do with the footage. The tension remained between Weiss and Blake, the pair standing on opposite ends from each other but everything was pushed aside in lieu of Ruby's discovery. At first, there had been surprise at Ruby's tactics as she'd kept it a secret from everyone but that surprise had quickly turned to indignation.
They now had proof of Team CRDL's wrongdoing – or at the very least, Sky and Russel's. Cardin and Dove weren't present in the video, but it wasn't a stretch to believe that they were also in on it. Perhaps the biggest surprise was the discovery of Sky Lark's semblance.
Ren watched the video again, his eyes narrowed. "I didn't even know Sky had unlocked his semblance. He hasn't used it in Combat Class."
"Perhaps it has some type of condition," Pyrrha mused, equally as invested in the footage as her partner. "Some semblances require a lot of concentration and aren't suited for combat. There is a possibility that his ability is one of those."
"Or he was purposefully hiding it," Blake voiced, body taut as she glared at the scroll. "That is an ability well suited to causing mischief. You can get away with a lot if people don't know that you can phase through objects."
It was an incredible ability to be sure. If it was combat viable, did that mean he could avoid the edge of a blade? Could bullets pass through him harmlessly? It sounded absurdly strong when given only a little bit of thought, yet Sky had resisted using it in class to show off. With an ability like that, he would be a much harder opponent to defeat, that was for sure.
"Maybe he can only use it sparingly," Weiss theorized. "Or rather – he cannot use it on his entire body at once but localized usage is possible."
Whatever the case, they had hard evidence that he had used his semblance to not only enter Ruby's locker but steal items from inside with Russel Thrush as his accomplice. The problem was that they couldn't just hand it to the teachers. Well, they could – but Ruby was sure to get in trouble as well. Even though the cameras hadn't recorded anything they shouldn't have like other students changing, the fact remained that recording in the locker rooms was forbidden. Sky and Russel could get expelled for what they did, but so could Ruby.
Two wrongs didn't make a right, or something to that effect.
It really depended on how strict they wanted to be in enforcing their rules. Professor Goodwitch wasn't the type of woman to bend easily. Headmaster Ozpin was an unknown quantity. None of them had really interacted with the man other than Ruby herself.
Nora hummed. "Do you think he has used it for anything else?"
"What do you mean?" Jaune asked.
"I dunno – like, he could peek through walls, couldn't he?" Nora shrugged. "If he can use it on his head, that is. Maybe he has been watching us in the showers."
The mood plummeted at the possibility.
"If he has, he dies," Yang declared.
"I agree," Weiss said at once, voice cold. "Death is the only punishment acceptable."
Blake nodded once, curtly.
Ruby and Pyrrha didn't say anything but Jaune could tell from their expressions that they didn't mind this course of action. Not at all. Jaune couldn't blame them. He hadn't really thought of that possibility. Trust Nora to think of it.
"Before we commit murder, maybe we can discuss what we are going to do with this," Ren said dryly, holding up Ruby's scroll.
If they couldn't send it to the teachers without fear of Ruby getting in trouble then there really was only one thing they could do.
"Blackmail," Yang declared with a vicious smile.
"That would be the best way forward, I think," Blake agreed. "Send it to one of them anonymously. Scare them."
"Does anyone have their scroll numbers?" Pyrrha asked uncertainly.
They didn't. None of them did. Why would they? They weren't exactly friends.
It was Ren that came up with the solution. "We can just send it to one of their emails. Our school addresses are just our names with 'at beacon dot vl' at the end. We can send it from an outside source so none of our emails are attached to it."
"They'll still know it's from us," Weiss said.
"That's fine, it just creates some separation in case the school gets hold of it. And do you think Ruby's locker is the only one Sky has stolen from?" Ren asked. "I'll bet everything I own that she isn't the only victim of his. They might think it's from someone else."
He had a point. Even if they could identify it as Ruby's locker, they'd still have to prove that she filmed it.
"Who do we send it to?" Nora asked, looking excited. "Sky? Russel? All of them?"
"Send it to Cardin," Jaune said firmly.
Ruby blinked. "Why Cardin?"
"Sky or Russel might try and hide it from him," Jaune reasoned. "This way, there isn't any way Cardin doesn't get on them about being caught. He'll be furious."
"Send it in the middle of the night," Blake suggested. "He'll see it first thing in the morning. They'll be on edge all day."
So that is what they did. Yang had an old email that she didn't use any more, so they sent it from that. Everyone had a good laugh at her expense, though, when they saw the old handle she'd used when she was thirteen.
"Sexygal69," Weiss read aloud, Yang's cheeks scarlet. "Very sophisticated."
"Oh shut up," Yang groused as everyone laughed. "I bet you don't even know what 69 means!"
Weiss opened her mouth and then shut it, unsure. Everyone laughed even harder, and it was with even more hilarity that Nora explained what it meant. Weiss' expression of outrage was burned into Jaune's mind as she tore into Yang for being a degenerate.
But it was done. Now all they had to do was wait and see how things panned out.
Team CRDL's room was several doors down from their own. Just as Jaune was returning from his morning jog, he heard raised voices coming from down the hallway. There was no mistaking Cardin's voice as he tore into his team. A couple of other teams were poking their heads out, listening.
When Jaune stepped back into their room, Nora was already awake, freshly showered.
"Someone sounds stressed this morning," she teased lightly, a shit eating grin etched on her face.
"It's about time the shoe was on the other foot, don't you think?"
By the time Jaune finished showering and changing, Weiss had risen from the dead. As usual, she looked completely out of it as she gathered her uniform and slowly made her way into the bathroom, mumbling a greeting as she passed. Blake was the final one to awaken, her ribbon a little lopsided as she hastily pulled her yukata closed as it had slipped again.
Jaune pretended not to notice.
Amber eyes blinked blearily. "I hear yelling."
"That would be Team CRDL," Jaune informed her. Suddenly alert, her mouth fell open slightly before she smiled.
They met with Team RPRY at breakfast and it was clear that they had also heard the commotion, their faces filled with expectation. Jaune kept an eye on the dining room doors as he ate, shoveling bacon and eggs into his mouth to sate his hunger. It wasn't long until the team of the hour entered, and it was immediately apparent from their body language that they were on edge. Cardin stomped into the room, his foul mood driving all from his path. Grabbing a plate, he slammed food on his tray, incensed, while his teammates followed behind like a group of whipped dogs.
Sky in particular looked like he was about to pass out at any second, his eyes darting around the room as he followed his team leader with hunched shoulders, face pale.
"Serves them right," Yang muttered darkly, delighted by their misfortune. "That's what you get for messing with my sister."
Everyone gave them a wide berth as they sat down in the corner, heads lowered as they spoke amongst themselves. Whatever they were speaking about wasn't light hearted, that was for sure.
"Oho, someone has woken up on the wrong side of the bed today," Professor Port chortled good naturedly as he loomed over Cardin, less than an hour later in their Grimm Studies class. Cardin scowled. "Excellent! Up, Mr. Winchester – go claim your weapon. Grimm do not only attack when we are at our best. You'll be the perfect candidate for today's lesson."
If looks could kill, Professor Port would be in serious danger.
Once again, their eccentric teacher had smuggled a Grimm into the school for them to fight. This time it was an Alpha Beowolf, something a little more dangerous than a regular old Boarbatusk. A little smarter, a little stronger, much bigger, Cardin was forced to work for his victory. In the end, he did win – but not before getting raked across the face by razor sharp claws, and having his leg gnawed on like a chew toy.
When his mace finally made contact, he managed to pulverize the Grimm's head in a single swing, the crack of bone and wet slap of collapsing flesh ringing through the classroom. He didn't stop there, though. Again and again, he swung, taking out his frustrations by turning the Beowolf into tenderized meat, blood, skin and muscle flying in every direction. Even Professor Port was taken aback by his viciousness – but only for a moment.
"Anger is a powerful motivator and fuel, this is true," he said when the Grimm began to evaporate, Cardin panting harshly, arm trembling as he rested on his mace. "It can fill us with strength – but it can also make us reckless, foolhardy. Be sure to temper those emotions in the future, my dear boy. But well done~!"
His team looked even more frightened of him after that.
This continued throughout the day.
Cardin stewed in his anger during Math, his fist so tight around his pen that it was moments from snapping in half. At lunch, they reclaimed their spot in the corner, huddled together as they discussed something. For once, he kept his opinions to himself during History, letting Oobleck lecture about one of the decisive battles of the Faunus Rights Revolution, the Battle of Fort Castle.
It was during Dust Usage class that things changed.
Jaune saw Nora tense, her eyes narrow as she stared over his shoulder. A moment later he felt a presence approaching from behind and turned. Cardin Winchester got in his face, their chests touching as the larger boy tried to intimidate him with his size. Jaune was a tall guy but Cardin was a few inches taller, and much broader in the shoulder, arms like a gorilla. Jaune held his ground, not backing down, and he heard Blake and Weiss rushing up behind him when they realized what was going on.
"I know it was you," he said, voice rough with anger. Indigo eyes burned. "Think you've got shit on us, do ya?"
They'd figured it out, then. Though why Cardin had chosen him out of everyone was a bit of a mystery.
"Hi," Jaune said blandly. "What's up?"
A large hand grabbed a handful of his jacket and shirt by the neck, tightening as Cardin shook him.
"You fuck around, you find out," he snarled. "You just couldn't mind your own business, could you?"
"Let him go," Weiss demanded. "Now."
Cardin glanced over Jaune's shoulder before dismissing them, meeting Jaune's eyes again. "Oh look, you're little girlfriends are here to protect you. Isn't that cute? I didn't know you needed women to fight your battles for you."
Jaune snorted. "That the best you can come up with?"
Cardin was wound so tight, Jaune could see the artery in his neck throbbing as his jaw tightened. He was on the edge, and the lightest nudge was all that was needed to push him over the edge. He was moments away from violence.
"Arc," he spat through clenched teeth. "If you think you have the upper hand, you're wrong."
"I don't think so," Jaune could feel his heart rate beginning to pick up, the tension soaring. Adrenaline was a potent thing, his senses sharpening as he waited for Cardin to do something stupid and reckless. "You know what happens next. Return their items or that video ends up online. How long do you think it'll take until the school sees it?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"I think you do," Cardin's teammates were hanging back but Jaune managed to lock eyes with Sky. "Your friends decided to steal from their classmates. Did you know about it or were they doing it on their own?" Cardin remained silent. "Or was it both? Did you find out afterwards? I guess that must have pissed you off."
"I'm warning you," he growled.
"Return everything," Jaune commanded, hand blurring as it wrapped around Cardin's wrist and squeezed. Cardin tensed, muscles bulging as Jaune applied pressure. "Your stupid friends decided to pick on the wrong girl. Did you know they took her underwear? How do you think the school will deal with that, I wonder?"
"Fuck off. How about we put you in the hospital again?" Cardin threatened, admitting that it was them. "That sap isn't hard to come by. Maybe next time we'll force it down your throat so you choke on it."
Jaune tightened his grip, squeezing as hard as he could. Cardin's arm shook, a brief flare of discomfort crossing his face as Jaune attempted to crush his wrist. There was a moment where it looked like Cardin was about to throw hands, his shoulders set as his other arm twitched, hand curling into a fist – but then, "Aaaaand cut~!"
They both turned their heads at the same time and saw Nora with her scroll out, recording them with the biggest, most infuriating smile in history on her face.
"That was really good," she said, nodding happily. "But I feel like there wasn't enough shaking. Cardin, you dumb-dumb – you need to put your back into it and really give him a shake, or they'll think you're a weakling. Are you really going to let Jaune take you down like this?"
Jaune felt Cardin loosen his hold and so on reflex, he did the same, fingers uncurling from around his wrist. It was a mistake, Cardin wrenching his arm free in an instant and lunging at Nora with a snarl. Nora didn't even flinch, continuing to smile as Cardin suddenly tripped, his feet moving in opposite directions. He hit the ground hard, face first, sliding through the dirt until he came to a stop at Nora's feet.
Two small glyphs winked out of existence as if they were never there in the first place.
"Oooh, that was rough," Nora hopped away. "Don't look up my skirt."
If Cardin was mad before, he was furious now.
Face red, he climbed to his feet, fists clenched by his side. His whole body shook and it looked like he was going to pop a blood vessel, Cardin's eyes promising death.
"This isn't over."
"If you try anything, you know what will happen," Blake stepped forward, voice filled with disdain. "It's over. And if this isn't enough to convince you, then maybe I'll just leak what you've been doing to that rabbit faunus to her team. They're second years – think they'll be happy to hear how you've been harassing their teammate?"
Cardin had nothing to say. Spinning on his heel, he stormed away. His team scattered to let him through.
Jaune caught Sky's eye again, "Return everything you took to everyone you stole it from. You think everyone else won't know it was you if the video comes out? I know Ruby isn't your only victim."
Unlike Cardin, there was no anger coming from Sky. No, only fear. He was scared that his Beacon life was about to end. Not just scared. Terrified.
Dove grabbed Sky by the arm and pushed him after Cardin before shoving Russel to follow, not looking back. Jaune felt his heart calm down, feeling a little dizzy as the tension bled out of his body.
"Good riddance," Weiss spat.
Nora giggled as she played back the video she'd recorded, and Jaune could hear his own voice and Cardin's.
"Are you okay?" Blake asked softly, a hand resting on his arm. Jaune nodded, straightening his shirt and jacket, and making sure his tie was still straight.
"Yeah, I'm okay," he replied, giving her a grateful look. "I thought for sure he was going to swing at me."
"We'd have kicked his ass if he did," Nora promised.
Jaune laughed before asking Blake, "That thing you said about Velvet's team – did you mean it?"
Blake nodded. "Of course I meant it. After we caught him that time, I… may have done a little digging and found out who her team was. Team CFVY. I just didn't understand why they wouldn't stick up for her unless they… shared similar views to Cardin."
The mere thought that Velvet could be teamed with a bunch of people that hated faunus must have driven her insane.
"And I'm guessing they don't."
Blake shook her head. "I asked around a little. Apparently they got in a lot of trouble last year when someone decided to pick on Velvet, and they… retaliated. And when I say trouble, I mean almost expelled levels of trouble. People got hurt pretty badly but nothing permanent. I think this stuff with Cardin, she has kept to herself. She doesn't want them to go after him and get kicked out of Beacon."
"She's trying to protect her team, then," Jaune sighed. "From themselves, more than anything. What a mess."
"Yes, well," Weiss cleared her throat awkwardly. "If he knows what is good for him, Winchester won't be bothering anyone else for a while."
"I just don't understand why he came for me," Jaune frowned. "Why me instead of Ruby?"
Blake had the answer to that.
"It's because you stood up to him," she said, smiling slightly at his surprised look. "With Velvet. He probably thought that this retaliation came from you. It was either you or Yang, and Yang has shown no problem with punching him in the face, so he probably thought you were the easier one to intimidate."
Weiss shook her head. "What an idiot."
Even if Cardin himself got away without punishment after implicating himself in the Forever Fall incident, his team would collapse with two members caught dead to rights. It would be the end of Team CRDL as they knew it.
But their next class gave him the perfect opportunity to do something about it. It had been building all day and their altercation in Dust Usage only pushed him over the line, so when Cardin was called down to participate in a bout, he was only all too eager. Whispers broke out immediately, their entire class knowing that whoever got in the ring with Cardin was in for it.
"Ms. Xiao Long," Goodwitch called and the room went deathly silent. "Go retrieve your things."
Everyone stared at Professor Goodwitch as if she'd just said something crazy, disbelief permeating throughout the room and then Yang whooped as she jumped to her feet, clapping her hands together. Her face was filled with delight.
"Thanks, teach~!" she shouted as she dashed away, heading for the locker rooms.
Soon as she was gone, the chatter returned, much louder this time.
"Is she crazy?" someone said further down, their voice filled with awe. "Why would she pick those two?"
"This is going to be so good~!" another person said excitedly. "They're going to kill each other!"
"You mean Xiao Long is going to eviscerate Winchester. This isn't even going to be a contest."
"I thought we weren't meant to settle personal grudges in this class?" a voice piped up reasonably, confused.
They weren't wrong. This went against one of the rules Goodwitch had set at the beginning of the year. There was no way she didn't understand just what she had done. Yang was serving detention with her every evening after classes, after all – for attacking Cardin.
This was very unexpected.
"She's going to kill him," Ruby moaned. "Yang's going to get expelled!"
"Professor Goodwitch won't let it get that far," Ren assured her calmly, patting Ruby on the back. "If anything, this may be a smart way to get them to vent. She can stop it at any time."
"It does go against her mandate, though," Weiss frowned. "Why the sudden allowance?"
Nora shrugged. "Who cares? I can't wait to see Yang put that jerk in his place. This is going to be so good!"
Cardin returned first, decked out in full plate, his hand clenched around the shaft of his mace. Taking his place in the middle of the stage, he waited, completely still except for the slight rise and fall of his shoulders as he breathed. It wasn't often that he wore his helmet in class but today, he'd worn it, his face shielded from view by the pointed visor. The sides were adorned with flaring wings, running back along the sides of his skull before rising up behind his head.
Pyrrha was frowning, leaning forward slightly as green eyes watched Cardin carefully.
"Pyrrha?" Ruby asked, catching her strange behavior. "What's wrong?"
"The crystal in his mace," Pyrrha pointed out. "It's a different color."
Jaune blinked, noticing the difference now that she'd pointed it out. Instead of the usual red that denoted fire Dust, it was now yellow – lightning.
"I didn't know he could use other forms of Dust," Blake said quietly. "We've only ever seen him use the same type in all his fights."
"As much as I would rather not admit it, he has been quite adept at using Dust in class," Weiss admitted sourly, mouth curled as if she'd just said something particularly nasty.
Did his change of Dust mean anything?
Yang returned at that moment, prancing up on stage with an enthusiastic grin on her face. Standing across from Cardin, she banged her fists together, her gauntlets mecha-shifting around her hands.
"Ready to feel pain?" she asked, her words at odds with her gleeful expression.
Cardin didn't say a word, shifting his stance so he was standing slightly side on to her, the head of his mace still resting against the ground.
Professor Goodwitch lifted her riding crop. "This match will conclude upon ring out or when one or both combatants drop below the acceptable aura threshold, do I make myself clear?"
"Sure, teach, I got no problem with that," Yang smirked.
"Mr. Winchester," Goodwitch snapped when he didn't answer. "You will answer."
"I get it," he growled, voice distorted by his helm.
Goodwitch nodded before bringing her arm down sharply, "Begin!"
Yang's legs tensed and then she exploded across the stage in a blur, her fist reared back with a maniacal grin on her face. Cardin didn't even have a chance to move much more than turn to face her openly, her gauntlet crashing into his breastplate with a metallic crash. Her gauntlet roared with the blast of a shotgun, a fire Dust infused shell blasted into his chest point blank.
Everyone held their breath, expecting to see Cardin hurled across the stage but much to everyone's shock, he tanked the blow as if it was no more than a stiff southerly breeze, taking not a single step back. Surprise filtered across Yang's face moments before his mace came hurtling at her head. She managed to avoid it by throwing her upper body back but before she could retreat entirely, Cardin stomped on her foot, trapping her.
Yang got her hands up in time to block some of the force on his backswing but it did little good, a bright flash of light blinding everyone as the lightning Dust discharged with a thundering crack. Yang screamed as her body jerked, an arc of lightning blasting her across the room. She tumbled wildly and through pure luck, she stopped short of the edge, limbs shaking as sparks of electricity raced across her skin.
"What the hell was that?" Nora asked in disbelief.
Blake quickly looked up at the screens and saw that while Cardin had lost some aura, it was much less than expected.
"She hit him that hard and yet he didn't even move," Ruby couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Cardin approached Yang's downed form like a predator hunting injured prey. Yang groaned as she sat up, hair a little frizzy as he loomed over her.
"Not so cocky now, are you, bitch?" he asked before rearing back, mace held high above his head.
Yang scrambled, rolling awkwardly as his mace slammed into the floor, the boards cratering from the force. Stumbling to her feet, her hair caught fire in a sudden rush, lilac eyes bleeding red. Face twisted in anger, she swung with all her might, catching him in his exposed side with a perfect left hook.
It was textbook perfect, everything from her technique to her accuracy, hitting him right in the liver. There were few more devastating shots than that.
The air shuddered, a shock wave blasting out from the force where she hit him, and yet he didn't move an inch, a wall of unmovable steel. Yang's eyes briefly widened in shock before she disengaged as Cardin turned and swung, his mace howling as it missed.
Again, his aura had depleted but much less than expected.
"Something isn't right," Pyrrha said at once.
Cardin had never shown this type of ability before, tossed around the ring in previous bouts. Yang darted in and hit him again, and again, and again, three lightning fast punches that buried deep, slamming into his torso and head, and yet again, he was unmoved, even when she unloaded a shotgun blast right into the face of his helmet.
Yang was forced back again as he swung.
"She's doing damage but at this rate, it'll take forever," Weiss said, shaking her head. "It appears that Sky wasn't the only one hiding their semblance."
Because that is all it could be. Such a dramatic change could only be brought about by semblance, but the specifics of his ability were impossible to know. She was hitting him with punches strong enough to bend steel, and yet he was completely unfazed. Was his semblance similar to Jaune's own? The ability to amplify – though maybe only his defensive capabilities? Or was it something entirely different? Redistribution of force? Absorption?
It really could be a number of things.
Yang circled him warily. The lightning charged hit she'd taken had reduced her aura significantly, and all of her attacks had been rendered useless. Even empowered by her own semblance, increasing her strength considerably, she wasn't even making a dent. Cardin raised his mace again but this time, his thumb pressed against a hidden button. The depleted Dust crystal ejected from the end, crumbling away as it hit the ground, only to be replaced by another one – this time, it was colored light blue.
Ice.
"I didn't know his mace could do that," Ruby muttered, distressed. "Since when could it do that!"
It didn't make sense. Why had Cardin been hiding these things? With Sky, Jaune could understand it. It was a semblance suited to troublemaking and he had used it for personal gain outside of combat. But this? Cardin was cocky, boastful and sought attention. He would like nothing more than being seen as strong.
What had he been holding back for?
Yang was faster and more skilled, darting in and out, delivering punishing blows that he shrugged off without a care while avoiding his counter attacks. Her gauntlets discharged again and again, each blast fizzling across the steel of his breastplate, across the pointed steel of his helm. They could see the frustration building as her movements became reckless, a vicious uppercut doing nothing more than produce an ear splitting screech as metal collided once again to no effect.
His aura was slowly whittled away but even after all these strikes, he had only dropped to eighty percent.
"Come on, Yang," Nora suddenly screamed, jumping to her feet. "Beat his ass~!"
Professor Goodwitch shot her a severe look but Nora's shout had opened the floodgates. The disbelief that had enveloped the class lifted and people began to cheer, clap, whistle as Yang moved faster, punched harder, her hair a halo of flame.
"You can do it, sis~!" Ruby followed Nora's example, her high voice piercingly loud.
Further down, another team was also cheering for Yang, slamming their hands on the railing to create booming claps. Three of them were faunus, the scaled individual Jaune recalled from initiation with a girl that had floppy dog ears, and another girl with a fluffy foxes tail. Cardin had no doubt raised their ire this past month.
Cardin's team began countering with cheers of their own, Russel chief among them. He stomped his foot, the sound banging loudly as another viscous strike from Yang was ignored, her fist glancing off his shoulder. Suddenly a hand flashed, grabbing at her blonde tresses wreathed in fire, and Yang snarled as her head was wrenched back, her eyes flashing dangerously.
"Let go of my hair," she roared, chambering a kick that rocketed up under his armpit in a sudden burst of strength. It slammed into Cardin with a crack but yet again, he was unmoved, though his aura dipped a little more than usual, showing just how hard Yang had struck him.
Unfortunately, she was wide open.
"Look out," Blake yelled but it was pointless.
Cardin's mace came around and hit her center mass, a cry passing her lips as she was lifted off her feet. There was a flash of blue light as the Dust activated and she was encased in a block of ice in an instant, tumbling across the stage as her aura plummeted. Only one of her hands and part of her face was untouched by the ice as she slid to a stop several feet away, completely trapped.
She wasn't in the red but she was close, saved by the smallest sliver. Cardin approached slowly, each step deliberate, controlled.
"No, no, no," Ruby's hands framed her face, fingers tightening against her cheeks. "Come on, Yang. Break out. Get up!"
Weiss gripped the railing in front of her, knuckles threatening to pop with how hard she was grabbing it.
Jaune felt a rush of blood shoot through him, and he stood, cupping his hands around his mouth as he shouted, "YANG! GET UP!"
Cardin loomed over her, mace raised high.
Jaune felt his breath catch, and the entire classroom froze as the tension reached its peak, suspended in time – and then with a splintering crack of ice, Yang exploded from her prison with a scream of rage, her fist no more than a blur. It slammed not into Cardin but the floor, the wood cracking with a deafening series of snaps, the stage collapsing underneath them.
For the first time during the fight, Cardin lost his balance, the floor giving way beneath his feet. He stumbled, unable to regain his footing as he fell – and then with a bright flare, Yang's hair roaring in an inferno, she rose up in a brutal, bone shattering uppercut. Her fist buried itself in his stomach and unlike every other time, he was lifted effortlessly, a startled scream of pain cut off as the air was blasted from his lungs.
Cardin flew – up and up, nearly striking the glass domed ceiling. He would have hit it if not for a flare of purple, Professor Goodwitch creating a barrier to keep him inside the building because without it, he would have entered low orbit. He cartwheeled off the barrier and hit the stage with a thundering crash, his helmet flying free as his aura shattered, motes of light showering him as his pain filled face was revealed to them.
He gasped desperately for air, and when they all got a good look at him, they saw that Yang's punch had crumpled the lower portion of his chest plate, the steel bent inwards in the shape of her gauntleted fist.
The class was stunned silent.
Yang panted, her eyes burning with fury, a deep, bloody red. Her hair roared about her head, almost blinding to look at. For a moment in time, she looked like a victorious conqueror, standing over her defeated foe – but then the flames sputtered, going out as her eyes returned to their usual alluring lilac.
She fell to her knees, completely spent.
"The winner of this match – Yang Xiao Long," Professor Goodwitch announced.
What had even just happened?
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