章 686: 29
Chapter 29:
"I'm so proud of you," said Sasame as she, Ruby, and Yang filed onto the airship back to Beacon. In the end, they'd stopped at a small restaurant, and had dinner in Vale, rather than try to rush back to Beacon to use the dining hall, before it closed.
"For what?" asked Ruby.
"For making a friend," said Sasame.
"What about saving her from a bunch of jerks?" asked Yang. "That's something to be proud of."
"True," agreed Sasame. "But protecting others comes so naturally to Ruby-chan that it's hardly remarkable." She grinned at Ruby, who was blushing furiously. "On the other hand, talking to someone she's never met before, building a connection with them, actually asking them to be her friend...that's something Ruby-chan has had some difficulty with, right?"
"I-it's not that bad," protested Ruby.
"And this is the first friend you made here who didn't have the shared experience of wanting to be a Huntsman or Huntress for you to bond over," added Sasame, making Ruby pause thoughtfully.
"Well...it is tricky," admitted Yang. "Beacon is sort of…isolated…after all. Normally, if we were going to hang out with civilians, it would be ones we knew already, like other kids we knew, back before Combat School. I don't think most Beacon students actually think about going into Vale and making friends with civilians."
"True," agreed Sasame. "But I advise you not to neglect the opportunity. As protectors, building a rapport with at least some of those you protect can be a powerful asset for the kind of profession you are seeking to enter."
"How come?" asked Yang.
"Because it keeps you from dismissing your protectorate, and coming to view them as objects...or even a burden," said Sasame. "In any profession like yours, it's a common risk. There's no question about civilians. If they are attacked by Grimm, they are more likely to panic than anything else. For those charged with their protection, that complicates things and adds to the difficulty."
"Yeah, that'd be pretty frustrating," said Yang with a frown.
"But it's also the natural course of things," said Sasame. "As students of the art of combat against the enemies of humanity, you've trained to master your fear, to control your feelings, to not panic when things get frightening or dangerous. It takes years to clear that particular hurdle. A normal civilian won't have that kind of training at all."
"So how does becoming friends with one or a few of them help?" asked Yang.
"It helps you acclimate to seeing them as people in their own right," said Sasame. "They come from their own backgrounds, and have their own circumstances. They haven't lived the same life you have. Interacting with them, even if it's just one or a few, on a personal level enables you to realize that. When faced with the frustration of dealing with those who can't handle the pressures that you do the same way that you do, it can be easy to dismiss them...or even perceive them as objects. You begin to view civilians as gutless cowards, who don't even know how to keep from getting themselves killed or, barring that, as nothing more than objectives to be protected, without a care for how they think and feel.
"But by building connections with and understanding them, you become much more invested in their safety and wellbeing. Furthermore, by having a connection to you, those people will realize that you are fully invested in their wellbeing, and will invest you with their trust in turn. That trust can turn into the key that keeps fear and panic at bay, allowing you to do your job to the fullest extent of your ability."
"That's...pretty cool, now that I think about it," said Yang.
Sasame sighed. "There are drawbacks, of course. Investing yourself personally in those you protect can become a double-edged sword, should you fail."
"Fail..." Both Ruby and Yang swallowed at the idea.
"It's an unfortunate fact of life," said Sasame sadly. "You aren't gods. You won't always be able to protect everyone. You can fight for that end as best you can, but success is not guaranteed. When it comes to that, failure will be an especially bitter and painful blow. Compared to that, detaching yourself is much easier. Then casualties become little more than numbers on paper, and the concept of lives lost or saved cease to have meaning as people. But you'll never be able to fully commit yourself to your work that way, not if you merely perceive it as a game of numbers."
"Okay..." said Yang uncertainly. In that respect, she could see the appeal in keeping her distance from the people she protected. However, she got the feeling that Sasame was right to urge them to form bonds with civilians, like Ashley. Besides, what they'd done with her: helping her, then talking with her, and finally building what might have become a lasting friendship with her, had felt right. Neither Yang nor Ruby would want to take back what they'd done this day.
They made it back to Beacon without any further incident, albeit a good bit later than they'd intended, barely making it back to the dorms before curfew. Weiss tried to scold Ruby, but was forced to break off when Ruby reminded her that they had an early morning to look forward to the next day. She did tell them about what she and her sisters had done in Vale, including meeting Ashley.
"Honestly," said Weiss with a huff, as she settled back on her bed, "you'll pick up just about any stray, won't you?"
"Geez," muttered Jaune. "That's harsh."
"Well...are you going to trade scroll information with every person you rescue?" asked Weiss.
"Probably the ones I like," answered Ruby.
"So you liked her?" asked Pyrrha.
"Yeah," said Ruby. "We got to know her while we were walking home. She's really nice. I thought I'd like to get to know her better, if I get the chance."
"That sounds nice," said Pyrrha.
"You'll let us meet her, right?" asked Jaune.
"Sure," said Ruby, beaming. "I'm not sure when or how. I mean...we only just met today. I don't want to make her feel uncomfortable or anything."
"It's nothing you need to rush," advise Sasame. "Take your time to get to know her, learn what she's comfortable with. Mistakes and misunderstandings are inevitable. The important thing is that you learn from them, and try not to make the same ones again."
"Okay," said Ruby.
"In the meantime, let's just focus on what's ahead," said Pyrrha. "We have class and training, tomorrow. Let's get our rest."
"Right," said Ruby, lying back and pulling the covers up over herself.
Sasame watched their morning workout and free-period training sessions without comment. She was more than satisfied with how hard Ruby worked Jaune to increase his physical ability, and confessed she didn't have many comments she could make regarding Jaune's fighting style. The Mibu didn't use shields of the kind Pyrrha or Jaune wielded in any of their martial schools.
"It was a shift in military doctrine that occurred very far back in our ancient history," she had explained. "I'm not sure anyone remembers why. All we do know is that the styles we have now don't really have a concept of wielding a sword and shield."
"So you don't know anything that could help?" asked Pyrrha as she watched Jaune go through his strikes. She was a little worried because they were reaching the limit of what she felt she could competently teach Jaune. While their basic weapons and techniques were fairly similar, while Milo was in its sword-mode, the more nuanced differences in their weapons began to differ, and Pyrrha knew that Jaune's ability to apply many of the more advanced skills she could try to teach him were marginal at best. The shape and balance of his sword were different, meaning how best to wield it would differ from Milo, even in Milo's sword-mode, to a certain extent. The shield was a different thing altogether. There was no way that Jaune would be able to use the same techniques with his shield that she used with Akouo.
"Well, nothing overly specific," said Sasame. "However, plenty of concepts of martial arts are, in fact, universal. The idea of the sword has evolved into numerous forms. However, all of them harken to the same base purpose. The same is true of the shield."
"How so?" asked Weiss, folding her arms.
"There are no sword and shield styles in the Mibu Clan," explained Sasame, "but there are plenty of two-weapon styles centered around a weapon used for offense and one used for defense." Ruby nodded in agreement to this. "The most common is the basic two-sword style, which uses a long and short sword. While the long-sword employs reach to attack, the short-sword is wielded by the other hand to defend at close range."
"So you're suggesting we treat Jaune's shield as a short-sword then?" asked Pyrrha.
"To an extent," said Sasame. "The shape is different, but the shield is an excellent tool for defense. When it comes to pure defense, it's better than a short-sword. It's not as maneuverable, and much heavier, but its coverage is far greater, so Jaune-kun doesn't have to make as drastic an adjustment to defend against attacks from different angles. As such, his weapons are ideally suited to a defensive style, based around creating opportunities to attack, rather than a more offensive one.
"Furthermore, even though a shield is not a sword, that does not mean that it can't be employed offensively. On his left arm, Jaune-kun has a fairly hefty piece of metal that could be used to exert quite a bit of force as a blunt weapon, especially if he puts the strength of his body behind it in a charge or lunge, which it is well-positioned for. Beyond that, the rim can be employed to concentrate the force of his attacks, if he finds an opportunity, though most ways of using it would sacrifice his shield's coverage, so he'd have to be discriminating about when he attacked in such a manner."
Pyrrha nodded, understanding. Her own shield was almost as much as an offensive weapon as her primary offensive weapon. Besides blocking attacks, Akouo could be used for blunt-force strikes with its flat. She'd sharpened the shield's rim for the specific purpose of being able to attack with that as well. On top of that, she'd settled on the shield's circular form to enhance its aerodynamics to allow her to use it as a throwing weapon.
Jaune's own shield hadn't been modified to that degree, but it would still have application in those areas (except for the throwing part), though the difference in shape meant how he attacked with it would vary somewhat from how Pyrrha attacked with her own weapon.
"I guess we'll have to figure it out as we go," said Ruby uncertainly.
"That's probably the best," said Sasame. "The kind of training you're giving him now is more than sufficient. Defending should come as naturally as possible for him. From there, he will have to work to gain experience in how to read the flow of battle, and shift his actions accordingly. You've taught him how to put his strength and the power of his body behind a thrust or slash of his sword. From there, it's only a few minor adjustments to manage the same thing with his shield. What you need to do is to cultivate the mindset that will allow him to recognize when such a shift in tactics is appropriate."
"All right," said Ruby, nodding, even as she began wondering about how to manage that kind of training.
"In that respect, experience will be the best teacher," said Sasame. "His physical abilities are advancing quickly, thanks to his large Aura-supply. You've been leveraging that to maximize the growth of his strength and endurance. It shouldn't take much longer for him to reach your levels. From there, I would advise shifting to a more experience-based approach to teaching."
"You mean like our trip to the Emerald Forest?" asked Pyrrha.
"Yes," said Sasame. "Fighting the Grimm like that is an excellent way to accrue experience and help him work out which techniques to employ and when to use them. It will develop his ability to use his skills in dynamic circumstances. The most difficult aspect of training for many students is shifting from simply repeating techniques through practice to actually applying them in real combat."
The other three girls nodded in agreement with that.
Pyrrha checked her scroll, noting the time. "We should call it good, here," she said. "It's almost time for Combat Class."
"I look forward to seeing this," said Sasame with a smile.
"We don't know who might be fighting today," said Ruby. "Professor Goodwitch hasn't started asking for volunteers yet."
"Even so, it's an opportunity to see how such things are managed at Beacon," mused Sasame.
They entered to the usual hubbub as students found their seats in the upper gallery, while Glynda waited on the floor below. She wouldn't say or do anything until the bell rang, so they were able to chat for a few more minutes. When the bell did ring, the entire class fell silent at once, Glynda's strict personality not permitting any discord once class began.
"Good afternoon, students," she said, inclining her head towards them. "Let's not waste any time and choose the first matchups, shall we?"
They watched as the first few matches went fairly normally. Most of them were fairly close-fought, the students being of a similar skill-level. Ren went up against Dove, their fight proving to be especially engaging as the two skilled, acrobatic fighters exchanged rapid blows from a variety of angles. At the end of the battle, Dove's greater stamina and durability won out, and Ren collapsed to his knees, panting for breath, after the buzzer sounded, signaling that his Aura had fallen into the critical zone. A loss against a member of CRDL was always a bitter blow, but it was softened somewhat by the fact that Dove appeared to be the only decent member among them, offering Ren a hand up, and not gloating smugly, or even smirking for that matter, at his win. Then again, the battle was close, and Dove's own Aura hovered just a sliver above the critical-level himself, so perhaps it was the nearness of the battle that goaded him to more sportsmanlike behavior.
"It seems Ren-kun's stamina is his greatest weakness," noted Sasame, scratching her chin. She'd been a bit confused when it was explained that even though Ren's given name was Lie, everyone still called him by his surname. She'd wondered why, and asked Ruby. The only answer Ruby had been able to give her was that they all did it because that was what Nora called him, and Ren never seemed to mind.
"Yeah...Ren gets tired out easily," said Nora with a sigh. "He's not really a morning person either."
"At this point, Jaune-kun is stronger and has more endurance than him," noted Sasame, glancing at Jaune and seeing him perk up at her assessment. "Still, his technique is far more refined. If you ever end up with the ring against him, managing to turn it into a battle of attrition will be a difficult task."
"Why do you have to do that?" whimpered Jaune, sinking in his seat.
"Overconfidence is forbidden," said Weiss with a smirk, while the others laughed or giggled.
The next match was unremarkable. However, following that, Glynda chose the next set of matchups, the second-to-last match of the day. Her eyes narrowed slightly. Then she looked up. When she spoke, it seemed that she was announcing the match with some degree of trepidation. "Yang Xiao Long...and Ruby Rose...report to the ring."
"Uh..." Yang's eyes widened, while Ruby's expression reached deer-in-the-headlight levels. The two of them whipped their heads around to stare at one another in shock.
Smiling slyly, Sasame leaned over and whispered to Ruby. "You aren't afraid of your sister, are you, Ruby-chan?" At the same time, her tail reached out and curled gently around Yang's forearm, keeping her from leaving as well.
"N-no," said Ruby. "I'm afraid she'll go easy on me. I want to be taken seriously." Despite what Yang had said to her during the sleepover, it was one thing to say something so confidently, and another entirely to follow through with it.
Sasame's smile widened. "If that's what you want, then you need to impress the idea of yourself as an opponent, and a threat upon her, quite viscerally. If that's the case...why not let your sword sing."
"B-but that's..." gasped Ruby, looking nervously down at the handle of her sword.
"I can tell that you haven't fully wielded Akaibara for some time," she said. "I imagine you've been letting her sleep to keep from making too many waves. But now is the time to let your peers hear her voice."
"A-are you sure?" asked Ruby.
Sasame nodded. "If you want Yang-san to fight seriously, then make yourself a serious threat, and it might dampen her inclination to deal with you lightly."
"All right," said Ruby. She stood up and headed into the ring.
Now that Ruby had been dealt with, Sasame danced across Ruby's other friends in the seats, until she reached Yang's side. "Yang-san, Ruby-chan is worried that you won't fight her seriously," she said frankly.
"Y-yeah...well...I'm not sure I can do it," admitted Yang. Just as Ruby had thought, Yang was confronted with the idea of putting her words during her sleepover into action, and finding it hard to walk her talk. "I mean, no matter how much respect I have for her, Ruby's my baby-sister. How could I ever hurt her?"
"Because she wants to be treated as your peer," said Sasame plainly. "Remember what I told you before?"
Yang nodded stoically. "I've given Ruby-chan advice to that end," said Sasame. "I promise that, when you face her, it will be very hard for you to worry about her as your sister. You'll have plenty else to worry about."
"Why do I have the feeling I'm not going to like that," grumbled Yang, making Sasame giggle.
"Remember," she said, "engage with Ruby-chan as her peer, and you'll gain much more ground than you will just trying to be her sister."
"All right," said Yang.
Sasame unwound her tail from around Yang's arm and allowed her to go on her way. She settled into the seat Yang had vacated, next to Blake.
"Question?" asked Sasame, seeing a curious and intense look in her eyes.
"Are you really a faunus?" asked Blake. "The way you moved your tail, the way it stretched, it's not normal. A fox-tail isn't even prehensile."
"The ability to manipulate its shape like that is a product of the body modification techniques of the Mumyo Kodama Ryu," said Sasame. "You haven't even begun to see what I can do, Blake-chan." Leaning in closer, she dropped her voice to the faintest of whisper, one that she knew that only a person with a second set of ears could detect. "However, you should refrain from asking such pointed and specific questions, based on particular knowledge of faunus, not if you don't want people to learn something you are trying to hide."
Blake's skin abruptly paled and her bow flattened slightly, making Sasame titter so lightly that only Blake could hear it.
"I feel that we should have a talk about this," Sasame whispered in the same, low tone. "After your Aura-training tonight, won't you linger and chat with me a bit?"
"A-all right," said Blake.
Sasame nodded and leaned back, now focusing her attention on the ring.
Glynda looked back and forth between Ruby and Yang. She'd had reservations about this matchup, but felt it was important to properly assess their abilities. Yang was the second-ranked fighter in the class, by Glynda's estimation. First rank was presently unidentified, with Ruby and Pyrrha both holding a strong claim to the top spot. Pairing the two of them off would be the simplest way to figure it out. However, Ruby worried Glynda. She still sensed that Ruby was hiding her full capability. She first wanted to see if a close battle against an opponent with a style significantly different from her own might be able to draw out more of that hidden capacity.
The problem would be whether or not either opponent would fight this match seriously, and in the spirit of how these matches were supposed to be conducted. Yang was normally an eager brawler, always happy to give her all in the ring, which usually led to quick, brutal victories. However, Glynda wasn't certain that she would be so eager to bring that brutality to bear against her half-sister.
Ozpin had warned her not to bring the issue up when Ruby had applied, fully accepting her as Ruby Rose, and not drawing any official connection to the Xiao Long family. However, it hadn't been hard for her to connect the dots and recognize the half-sisters for what they were. It was especially easy to see that they were estranged...and that Yang was clearly disinclined to actively try and hurt her sister, much less fight her.
Ruby...on the other hand, worried Glynda a good bit more. Ruby's animosity towards Yang hadn't been hard to miss. It was apparent that she would prefer to act as though Yang didn't exist and always seemed to take it as an irritation whenever something Yang said or did reminded her of Yang's existence.
That had changed slightly. Though they sat apart in this class, sitting with their respective teams, Glynda couldn't help but notice that, for the first time, being forced to acknowledge Yang's existence had not elicited a hostile glare from Ruby. Now the two sisters were standing across the ring from each other. There was no hostility to be seen from Ruby. In fact, both of them now seemed to have some degree of trepidation.
Despite that, they both nodded when she asked, "Are you ready?"
Deciding to simply hope that things went for the best, Glynda moved beyond the ring and brought up the safety barrier. As she did, she saw something that made her mouth go dry.
Yang dropped into her starting stance, Ember Celica unfolding to cover her forearms as she brought them up in a guard position, ready to attack or defend (but mainly attack) as needed. That wasn't abnormal in the slightest. What had prompted Glynda's unease came from the other person in the ring.
Ruby reached behind her, her left hand closing around the handle of her sword. As the blade emerged from the sheath, an eerie, ringing sound filled the arena, making the air of the entire room seem to vibrate. The sound put Glynda's nerves on edge and made her hair stand on end. A crimson Aura boiled out from the sword, swirling through the air around Ruby, making her cloak flap and flutter, as though caught in a powerful wind, the Aura curling around her like a maelstrom, disturbing the air throughout the ring as Yang's blonde locks were also tossed by the current.
Yang gasped, her eyes going wide, her entire body seizing up reflexively as she felt the surge of power from Ruby's sword. "What the-?" That sword...it has an Aura! How?!
Ruby whipped and twirled the sword through a few circular passes, before bringing it up and over her head. Holding it up, she held the blade parallel to the ground and across her body, resting the first two fingers of her right hand against the flat of the blade. Her own Aura unfolded outwards, the swirling, red current merging with that of the sword, their Auras mingling, combining, coalescing together, then exploding outwards with even greater strength, the release making Yang's feet actually slide backwards slightly on the smooth floor.
The rushing, tumultuous effect of Ruby's boosted Aura subsided as it condensed around her and suffused itself into her body, rather than swirling openly through the air around her. The blade of her sword continued to shine slightly, but not throwing out waves of crimson light as it had earlier. Ruby brought her sword through a few more passes, before assuming her usual starting stance, standing sidelong towards her opponent, holding the blade above her head so that the point was oriented towards Yang, the flat of the blade lightly pinched between the middle and ring fingers of her right hand.
Glynda was stunned. I knew it had its own Aura, but I had no idea it was this potent! A buzzing sound drew her attention to her scroll and she gasped. The combatants' Aura-levels were on display, but the display of Ruby's Aura was flickering and displaying an error message. Apparently, the systems employed by Beacon couldn't properly monitor Ruby's Aura if she was using her sword. Ozpin...just what were you thinking?
Fortunately, after a few seconds' confusion, the system seemed to register the change and Ruby's Aura, and her gauge appeared as it should. Despite that, Glynda still couldn't help but feel uneasy about the prospect of letting this match go as planned.
Still, there was no turning back now. Glynda looked up, seeing that Yang was shifting nervously. It had nothing to do with the fact that Ruby was across the ring from her and everything to do with the mysterious, almost ominous sense emitted by Ruby's Aura now, the sense that Yang was now up against two opponents, instead of just one.
She wasn't the only one rattled. Throughout the spectator seats in the gallery, the students were talking and whispering, exclamations of shock ringing out. The difficulties the system had in measuring Ruby's Aura were on display on the screen above the ring. Her own teammates were amongst the most surprised.
"Wha-what is that?" asked Weiss, gaping unashamedly down into the ring.
"That is Akaibara, Ruby-chan's sword," said Sasame. "It was forged for her by the hands of Sengo Murasame of the Taishiro, the Mibu Clan's Blademaster, our clan's master-smith. He considers it to be his finest creation to date. Akaibara means 'Red Rose' in the Old Tongue. However, Murasame-sama chose to engrave the characters as 'Aka Ibara' on it, making it 'Red Thorn' instead."
"How can a sword have an Aura?" asked Pyrrha.
"Is it so strange?" asked Sasame. "You channel Aura through your weapons when you fight. A weapon can be suffused with Aura. The ideal is to make it come alive in your hand, as a true extension of yourself. Through continuous repetition of this, you put yourself into the weapons you wield, invest them with slivers of Aura over time. That power can accumulate, build, and become something unto its own." Sasame's gaze discreetly flickered to the handle of Jaune's sword, before returning to the ring, with no one being the wiser.
She continued. "A master artisan is said to invest his heart and soul into his work. But Aura can make that a literal statement. To my knowledge, only the Mibu have ever made an art of deliberately infusing Aura into one's creations to bring them to life...and none have mastered it to the extent of our clan's Blademaster. The sword in Ruby-chan's hand represents the pinnacle of his skill, an achievement he has yet to surpass."
"So she has a weapon that can give her even more Aura?" complained Weiss. "How is that fair?"
"It isn't," said Sasame. "This world isn't fair at all, in case you haven't noticed. In a fair world, all of you would have had access to the same opportunities, the same choices. But this is not a fair world. Some of you worked and trained throughout your early years and found yourselves in positions that you felt did not match the investment of time and effort that you made." She looked at Weiss, who blushed and averted her gaze. "And others received virtually no training at all." She looked to Jaune, who sighed and nodded.
Returning her eyes to the ring, Sasame chuckled. "And yet, you are all here, expected to stand as equals, your only measure what you put forth in the here and now. Fairness, Weiss-chan, does not come to you freely. It is something you must create for yourself. You must level the field with your own hands, by pitting your own advantages against your opponents'.
"Besides, simply saying that Akaibara boosts Ruby-chan's Aura does both her and Ruby-chan a disservice. A weapon that has a soul has its own will. Therefore, learning how to master one's weapon is learning how to work with that will, whether subordinating it to your own...or learning to cooperate with it. Ruby-chan's sword has a powerful Aura, which likewise means a powerful will. It is so strong that it will not permit a person it does not acknowledge to even draw it. Were a person it deemed unworthy to hold the unsheathed blade, its remonstration would be even more dangerous."
"Dangerous? You mean that thing could hurt Ruby, if she doesn't wield it right?" Jaune tensed as he focused his attention on the ring.
"It would turn on her, possibly cutting her itself or...turning her into a demon of the blade," said Sasame. "Ruby-chan put as much work into building her rapport with Akaibara as she did into mastering every technique she ever learned. Even then, she must maintain Akaibara's respect."
Down below, Glynda took a deep breath, feeling more nervous than ever about the course of this battle. "Ready...Begin!"
The fight was very nearly over in that instant. Ruby's image flickered and, suddenly, she was right in front of Yang, having closed across nearly half the ring faster than the blink of an eye, a wave of red petals scattering in her wake and marking where she'd been standing earlier.
There was no time to think and worry about her sister. Yang's training kicked in. Her body moved automatically in response to the threat. Seeing that Ruby's sword was still in its overhead position, Yang punched directly ahead, aiming for Ruby's midriff. Ruby shifted turning her body aside from Yang's punch and thrusting forward with her blade. Yang frantically raised her other arm to block, Ruby's sword making a grating sound as its edge scraped across the metal of Yang's gauntlet.
Then Ruby pulled back, whipping her sword back around, having it come down and around, before rising in an upwards slash. Yang braced her arms to block. The battle nearly came to an end then and there. The force behind Ruby's strike was beyond what Yang had ever expected her sister was capable of. Ruby was small and fast, seeming to be more likely to use her nimble form to outmaneuver her opponent, and slip past their guard. But this strike was loaded with so much power.
The force of the blow launched Yang up and back, threatening to send her flying out of the ring entirely. However, with a shout, Yang brought her arms around to punch behind her, firing Ember Celica and using the recoil to reverse her momentum and launch her back at Ruby. Bringing her right arm up, Yang led with a powerful straight-punch, aimed right at Ruby's head.
Nearly being beaten by ring-out in the first second of the fight goaded Yang into taking things much more seriously. Sasame was right. The feeling of intimidation Yang felt from Ruby made it hard to think of her as just Yang's little sister, the little girl Yang had once watched over, and even had a hand in raising. She was not the little girl that Yang had once desperately searched for, the girl that Yang had thought she'd needed to protect and shelter. This was a true threat, a real opponent.
Ruby sidestepped Yang's first punch, spinning her body around to the left. Yang turned, already bringing up her own left in preparation to attack, but balked as Ruby's cloak abruptly flared up in her face. She punched, but her gauntlet's bolt ripped through empty air behind the fabric. Then her senses screamed that she was in danger. She barely managed to bring her left back up in time to catch Ruby's sword as she used her spin to bring Akaibara around in a backhand slash. Once again, the sheer power behind the strike belied Yang's expectations, threatening to blow her off her feet again and send her flying out of the ring.
However, Yang was ready this time. Shifting the position of her arm, Yang levered it downwards, kicking off the ground and using the force of Ruby's strike to impart spin to her body as she rose up in the air. At the same time, Yang extended her leg to bring her heel swinging down at Ruby's head.
Her heel struck Ruby's hood, which should have allowed Yang to land a blow on the head beneath it. But the hood scattered into petals upon contact, the effect similar to Blake's shadows. Yang landed and whipped her head around, her eyes searching for any trace of red. But there was too much red. Ruby's scattered petals danced around her vision, filling it with countless moving objects, and leaving Yang with little way of telling where her sister had gone.
She'd expected Ruby to attack from behind. But Ruby defied Yang's expectations yet again, seeming to materialize off to Yang's right, now spinning the other way, her cloak flaring out. Yang turned, wanting to catch Ruby's next slash and counterattack, her eyes watching for the blade as Ruby brought it around and across in a direct side-slash.
However, Ruby's strike came much sooner than Yang expected, as Ruby's sword emerged from the fluttering edges of her cloak in her right hand, executing another backhand slash. Having intended to delay her block to catch Ruby's blade at the right place and the right time, Yang found her timing off. Unable to get her arm up in time, she instead threw herself backwards, not having time to even think about trying to attack.
Even then, Ruby's sword still slashed across her chest, its edge biting into Yang's Aura and making her cry out in surprise and pain. As she'd switched hands, Ruby had gripped her right hand further back along the handle, extending her weapon's reach. It was by just a few inches. But that had been enough, combined with the unexpected nature of her attack, to catch Yang before she could escape Ruby's reach entirely.
Yang landed on her back, skidding, but managing to use her momentum to go into a roll that brought her back up to her feet. Rising up, she punched out, launching a bolt at Ruby, who slipped to the side of the incoming shot, letting it brush past her. Once again, she flashed across the distance between herself and Yang, her cloak seeming to stretch behind her as she moved.
Yang dropped into a crouch, practically going to her knees, ducking underneath another slash of Ruby's sword. Yang punched straight downwards, putting her weight, gravity, and Ember Celica's fire-Dust bolt into the blow and using it to generate a shockwave that washed out across the ground, threatening to send Ruby flying.
Ruby moved to escape the attack by jumping. Mimicking what Yang had done earlier, she put her body into a roll, turning it sideways so that, when she came back around, her sword would come straight down at Yang's head. Glancing up, Yang saw Ruby's sword come around at her more rapidly than it should have, Ruby having switched it back to her left hand. However, Yang wasn't going to be caught by the same trick so easily.
Rising up from her crouch, Yang swung her right arm up in an uppercut, meeting Ruby's descending blade directly, triggering her gauntlet as its barrels made contact with the blade's edge. However, even the, literally, explosive power of her punch met Ruby's sword, the force of Ruby's own blow was more than her previous right-handed attacks had been, the force of the two attacks canceling one another out explosively. Yang and Ruby were blown back away from each other, landing apart.
Her left arm must be stronger than her right, thought Yang. It made sense. Ruby had been born left-handed after all. Even if she had learned how to swing her sword with her right hand, her left-handed blows probably had both more finesse and power to them. Now she had an idea of how Ruby's style worked.
Their feet touched the ground at practically the same time. With no hesitation, the two sisters charged one another directly. With a roar, Yang punched out, prepared to sacrifice some of her Aura by taking Ruby's attack to land one of her own. However, instead of attacking, Ruby instead shifted, smoothly drifting aside from the line of Yang's punch, the smooth crossover step allowing Ruby to circle behind Yang and come at her back. She turned as she stepped, swinging her blade around and across in a downwards, diagonal slash that aimed for where Yang's neck met her shoulder.
Yang practically screamed in pain as she felt the blade's edge bite deep into her Aura. But she weathered the blow all the same. Ruby's movements had been smooth and precise. When Yang had punched out with her left, Ruby had stepped to the right, thereby stepping to Yang's left, allowing her to dodge the attack without coming directly into line with Yang's right fist. However, as soon Yang had seen Ruby's dodge, Yang had begun turning as well. It wasn't enough to allow Yang to escape Ruby's slash. But that hadn't been Yang's intent. By catching the slash directly, Yang had taken a lot of damage. But it also meant that, for a brief second, Ruby's sword was stopped up against her body.
Turning also allowed Yang to step in closer to Ruby's body. Yang raised her right hand and fired Ember Celica across her chest without punching, instead using the recoil to drive her elbow straight into Ruby's stomach. The force of the elbow-strike nearly folded Ruby over. Ruby was blown back away. She might have screamed, but the impact had completely driven the air from her lungs.
Landing on her back, Ruby rolled smoothly back to her feet, still fighting to get her wind back. Even as she came up, she realized that Yang wasn't about to give her that opportunity, closing in with incredible speed. While it was no match for Ruby's speed, the fact that Yang was now on the offensive put all that more pressure on Ruby, who dodged to the side, sweeping her cloak around to enclose her body.
Yang struck, trying to anticipate Ruby's dodge. However, as her fist plunged into and through Ruby's cloak, there seemed to only be empty air behind it. Ruby swept her arm out, spreading her cloak and making it flare in front of Yang's face, prompting Yang to fall back. In the same motion, Ruby brought her sword around in her right hand again. Yang, seeing that, threw up her arm to block, but was caught by surprise when the blow was more powerful than she expected, making her feet skid backwards across the smooth surface of the sparring ring's floor.
Determined not to let Ruby take away her momentum, Yang punched with her other arm as she slid back, firing a bolt at Ruby. Ruby, still coming out of her turn, wasn't able to dodge so easily, not at this range. Instead, she braced the flat of her blade against the palm of her left hand so that both hands were supporting the weapon when Yang's bolt impacted against it, sending Ruby sliding back as well.
The two recovered and flew at each other once again, fists and sword moving in a flurry of gold and red as they clashed in a series of rapid and powerful blows. Ruby's cloak swirled around her body with each turn she made, making her seem like a whirling dervish, the red streak of her slashes becoming almost invisible against the backdrop of the fluttering fabric. Her sword jumped freely between her right and her left hand, changing up the timing and tempo of her attacks, but also altering reach and power at will. An attack that Yang thought she'd dodged seemed to extend out to land anyway. A swift blow she'd thought was meant to catch her off-guard with sheer speed and reach hit with force that seemed unbelievable for Ruby's small frame to be capable of.
Realizing that playing a game of inches against a speedster like Ruby was not going to allow her to win, Yang decided to invest in her biggest advantage, raw power. One thing Yang had learned was that, while Ruby's full-strength strikes were incredibly strong, far stronger than someone like her should have been capable of, Yang herself still had the edge when it came to sheer brute force. Her greatest strength would always be offensive, so she decided to throw herself at her opponent with a will, and focus on attacking.
Besides, Yang still had her trump card, her Semblance. Every hit she took made it stronger. When she unleashed it, she could turn the tables on Ruby immediately. The only risk was in delaying too much. If she waited too long, a hit might take her Aura down into the critical zone, ending the match before Yang had a chance to use her Semblance. It would be hard to gauge, since Yang had no time to check her Aura-level with her scroll, or even glance up at the screen above the arena. Ruby never gave an inch, always keeping them both on the move.
As they closed for another exchange, Yang's eyes widened when she saw Ruby's face. She'd expected a serious, stoic expression, like the one that Ruby had worn at the beginning to the fight. However, to Yang's amazement, Ruby's lips were instead stretched into a radiant smile of pure joy, her silver eyes shining with excitement. Ruby was happier than Yang had ever remembered seeing her being. A smile like that had certainly not had any place in their home before Ruby had run away.
Even more incredible was another realization. Ruby's smiling...smiling at me. Yang realized that she was the one who had put that smile on Ruby's face. For the first time in years, she, Yang Xiao Long, was the one bringing happiness to Ruby. Sasame had been right. By meeting Ruby as an equal, Yang was suddenly closer to her than she'd ever been before.
Yang's body felt lighter. Her movements grew quicker and sharper, an excitement beyond that of any brawl she'd ever lost herself in rising up and filling her. Now I get it! She attacked more fiercely, throwing everything she had into the fight before her, her gauntlet ringing freely against Ruby's sword.
"Unbelievable," whispered Weiss, astonishment marking her features.
"I knew Ruby was strong, but this is...insane!" gasped Jaune.
Sasame giggled. "Ruby-chan is full of surprises, isn't she?"
"How can she fight like that?" Weiss wanted to know. "I've never seen anyone wield a sword like that, switching hands continuously.
"That's one of Ruby-chan's distinct developments," said Sasame. "There are hand-changing techniques for a variety of weapons. Switching your hand can change the timing, reach, and power of your strikes. Few have ever developed it as thoroughly as Ruby-chan has though."
"How?" asked Jaune.
"Fairly early on in her training, Ruby-chan developed an interest in two-sword styles," said Sasame. "She became interested after inadvertently using it in a fight. So we found a teacher for her who specialized in such a style."
"Coming from that, Ruby-chan came up with the notion of wielding one sword as two, taking advantage of the shifts in her movements that would come from switching between hands. Doing so allowed her to create a versatile style that she could use to throw off her opponents. Even when they realize what she's doing, they can't be certain what kind of attack will come next." Sasame smiled proudly. "It's Ruby-chan's own unique form of combat."
"I thought she'd be stronger with her left hand, but it seems she's equally strong with both hands," noted Weiss.
"Of course," said Sasame. "While most two-weapon styles typically rely on different weapons in each hand, one meant for offense, the other for defense, the one that Ruby studied uses swords of equal length."
"What does that mean?" asked Jaune.
"Many things," replied Sasame. "Fighting with weapons of equal length is much more flexible than a regular two-weapon style. Either weapon can be used for offense or defense, or even both at the same time. Against a normal two-weapon style, your position, relative to your opponent, will affect which weapon they are using for what purpose, which gives you insight into their moves, depending on where you are. But, with both blades being of equal length, you cannot be sure which will be used for attack. You have to diffuse your attention more, in order to try and follow both blades, which is much more difficult to do."
"Cool!" said Jaune.
"However, it is also much more difficult to master," added Sasame. "Two-sword styles are difficult to learn from the outset, seeing as you must condition your hands and arms to perform different tasks at the same time. Most styles simplify that by the fact that, by using two different weapons, each hand and arm will have a different set of techniques for it specific to that arm. However, with equal-length blades, not only will both hands and arms have to be capable of performing all the same moves, but they will have to be able to move with complete and flexible independence of one another at all times. Longer swords make that even more difficult, which is why most equal-size two-weapon styles use short weapons."
"So that's why she went back to using one sword," said Weiss. "It simplifies the motions she needs to make. But, by switching hands freely, she can recreate most of the advantages of a two-sword style."
Sasame said nothing, her smile becoming a sly smirk. Instead, she merely hummed an acknowledgment in response to Weiss' words. Moving her gaze from Weiss and Jaune to the remaining member of Ruby's team, Sasame's smirk widened.
Pyrrha hadn't said a word since the fight had begun. That was because, from the moment Ruby had first moved, all of Pyrrha's senses had focused intently on the girl in red, tracking Ruby's every move. However, her eyes weren't narrowed, but instead wide and gleaming with sheer excitement, her lips curled up in a giddy, eager smile that was almost childlike. Indeed, Pyrrha's entire manner of polite, pleasant dignity had vanished. She was trembling and squirming, practically dancing in her seat, her knees bouncing and her hands up and clenched. She looked like a young child whose favorite treat had been placed right in front of her and, now, she was only waiting for permission to take a huge, indulgent bite.
It isn't just which hand she's holding the sword with, thought Pyrrha. Her power is determined by leverage, where on the handle she grips her weapon. Further down the handle extends her reach, but makes it harder to put her arm and wrist-strength behind a strike. However, by gripping higher up on the handle, she has the leverage to put out more power.
On top of that, her outfit itself is part of her fighting style. Her cloak serves as both cover and distraction. By sweeping it out, she can disrupt an opponent's focus. Folding it around herself while still making it billow allows her to hide her body-position, which makes it more difficult to land a hit against her. The fact that her cloak and the blade of her sword are the same color is no coincidence either. It not only conceals the movements of the blade's attacks, but also allows her to hide when she changes hands.
She'd be right at home in the Mibu, thought Sasame, realizing right away what had Pyrrha so excited. I look forward to the moment she gets her wish.
Weiss and Jaune, to say nothing of Yang's team, were too wrapped up in the fight to notice Pyrrha's excitement, which was probably for the best, as Pyrrha would have probably turned completely red from the embarrassment. However, Sasame thought the look on Pyrrha's face suited her perfectly. Beneath the veneer of Mistral's champion lay a pure warrior, someone who lived for the challenge of facing a strong opponent; who desired, more than anything, to push her body, mind, and spirit to the limit on the field of battle and, in doing so, strive to find the way forward and improve. This was the true core of Pyrrha Nikos, the determination at her heart that had driven her to improve to the degree that she had earned the monikers of Invincible Girl and Goddess of Victory.
What's more, thought Sasame, she has gone through a prolonged drought of constant victory. Pushing herself to such an extent and refining her skills to such a level has resulted in her winning against every opponent with a level of ease that troubles her. How long has it been since she has been forced to simply struggle in order to win, much less been threatened with defeat? She'll be the perfect partner for Ruby-chan, in the ring. I hope I get to see them clash with my own eyes.
With that pleasant thought in mind, Sasame turned her attention back to the ring.
Yang's next sequence of attacks allowed her to press closer to Ruby. There were advantages and disadvantages to Yang's chosen style, which was essentially a form of armed boxing. She was at her strongest right up-close and personal. However, that meant that an opponent with any kind of handheld weapon generally held an advantage in reach over her. In order to get up-close, Yang usually had to pass through her opponent's optimum range, which opened her up to attack.
At the same time though, even if an opponent's weapon gave them a reach-advantage against her, by getting in close, Yang could close in to a distance too close for an opponent to fight effectively with a longer weapon. That restricted their movements at the same time Yang was able to attack with full power. As agile with her sword Ruby was, Yang knew that Ruby's weapon would suffer from the same limitations. At extreme close-range, the distance where Yang excelled the most, Ruby's own offensive and defensive abilities would be limited.
So it came as a surprise when Ruby still managed to deflect Yang's close-range punch, not with the blade of her sword, but by bracing both hands against the handle. The impact jolted Ruby's body back though. But that had clearly been intentional, as it had put her at range to get a full swing in at Yang again.
Yang jumped back away, her sense of distance once again faltering as Ruby's reach increased with the switch of her hand, causing the tip to scrape down between Yang's breasts. Yang landed and tensed. She knew full well that she had been getting, rather than giving for most of this battle. She'd been the one taking the most damage. She couldn't be sure, but she was fairly certain she had to be close to the limit, the point where the match would be called. There was no time to check. She could feel her Semblance, wound like a coiled spring in her body. She had more than enough power to turn the tables.
Grinning, Yang slammed her gauntleted fists together, unleashing her Semblance to the fullest. A wave of golden energy exploded out from her body, the shockwave actually making Ruby falter as she tried to close the distance again. Her momentum petering out, Ruby looked up at Yang, their eyes meeting...and gasped, all thoughts of fighting momentarily washed from her mind. Yang has the Crimson Eyes! What-?
Unfortunately, Ruby's distraction cost her dearly. as Yang surged forward with a roar that was not just heard, but felt by everyone in the room, becoming a horizontally-flying meteor as she barreled at Ruby at full speed. Ruby's finely-honed combat reflexes kicked in at the last second, and she jumped desperately to the side, barely managing to avoid Yang's punch. As it was, the punch unleashed a shockwave that blew Ruby back away from her, doing some damage, even though Ruby had escaped being hit by Yang's fist itself.
The shockwave of Yang's passing blow also pushed Ruby back, keeping her from counterattacking, not that Ruby was inclined to counterattack at the moment, still reeling from the sight of Yang's transformed eyes. However, deep down, part of her knew that she needed to get her act together. Packing that much power, Yang would only need a couple of hits, maybe even just one, to completely turn the fight around and bring Ruby's Aura down to the critical zone.
Ruby closed her eyes. Even with her sight blocked, she could still track Yang's movements. If there was something good that could be said about this change of affairs, it was the fact that the explosive power that Yang was putting out inclined her to make big moves, movements that amplified the flow of her Aura and the air around her, telegraphing them well enough to Ruby's senses that she could sense Yang's attacks without needing to see them.
For the next few, furious seconds, Ruby focused purely on evasion as she drew her confused feelings back into herself, relaxing her mind and wiping her surprise at the sight of Yang's eyes away completely. She ducked and spun and jumped, channeling her Aura through her legs and feet in smooth bursts that allowed her to evade Yang's attacks by the narrowest of margins.
Regathering herself, Ruby opened her eyes and launched herself back into the fray. Engaging Yang up-close was out of the question. Her previous power was completely outmatched by Yang's new state. Instead, Ruby slipped aside from Yang's blows as best she could, dancing between them, weathering the battering she was taking just by being in the general vicinity of those haymakers. Any one of these punches would bring an end to the fight if they landed directly. Despite that, Ruby smiled eagerly, slipping under Yang's guard by going low, ducking under a straight punch and rising up, her sword also rising in an upward slash.
Then Yang's opposite hand punched straight down, firing a bolt from her gauntlet. The recoil launched Yang upwards, allowing her to spin out of the path of Ruby's attack. At the same time, the explosive bolt, enhanced by Yang's Semblance, struck the floor, the pressure wave battering Ruby and peppering her with shrapnel from broken pieces of the arena's floor. Meanwhile, Yang's spin allowed her to swiftly bring the fist she'd originally attacked with around in a spinning punch. Without a stance rooted to the floor, Yang couldn't output as much power. But her spin, combined with the awesome force of her unleashed Semblance, was still more than enough to end the fight then and there.
Frantically, Ruby raised her sword, bracing her right hand against the flat, catching Yang's incoming gauntlet. However, the burst of fire from Ember Celica against Akaibara's blade still launched Ruby backwards. In a desperate move, Ruby thrust downward, plunging her sword's blade into the floor, gripping it desperately and using it as a brake to kill her momentum, managing to stop herself at the very edge of the ring. Looking up, Ruby saw Yang touch down and come charging after her, Yang's hair streaming out behind her like a trail of golden flame.
Standing up, Ruby took a deep breath, raising her sword up in front of her, holding it horizontally across her chest, its edges oriented vertically. Her movements were smooth, yet also seemed strangely slow and deliberate, in sharp contrast to Yang's barreling approach. However, that was because they were carried out with the ease of long practice. Placing the first two fingers of her right hand against the flat of her sword's blade, Ruby traced them along its length, from the base to the tip, Akaibara flaring to life with an eerie ringing noise that filled the arena. The air swirled around Akaibara's blade as Ruby raised it over her head. Red petals drifted up from her cloak, drawn in by the circling winds to dance around the blade. The blade began to shine, crackling arcs of crimson lightning crawling up and down its length, reaching out to the petals of Ruby's Aura, and drawing them inwards, all while the wind continued to draw inwards, merging with the lightning, its sporadic crackling sound evening out into a uniform buzzing noise, while the color lightened, then brightened, shifting from red to an intense violet, which engulfed the sword in a radiant haze.
At this point, Yang was practically one step outside of striking distance. Her eyes widened at the sight of the violet flames condensing around the blade of Ruby's sword. They condensed further, seeming to solidify. Ruby's right hand rose up to grasp the handle behind her left hand. Now holding her weapon in both hands, Ruby looked Yang right in the eyes and swung straight down.
"Yoake no Bara!"
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