The brackets rotated time and time again for the matches between kingdoms, until each kingdom had sent all of their teams to compete.
Finally, the brackets stopped and round one was concluded.
The final tally flared across the holo display.
===
Menagerie: 3 victories
Atlas: 3 victories
Vale: 2 victories
Vacuo: 2 victories
Mistral: 2 victories
===
A murmur swept through the stadium as spectators digested the numbers. Menagerie and Atlas at the top. The others trailing, though not by much. The margins were narrow enough to keep hope alive and wide enough to sting.
Jaune stared at the display for a long second.
Rank One rounds were over.
Which meant his time as a spectator had ended.
From this point forward, he and Pyrrha wouldn't be able to watch from above anymore, but would have to wait in their designated prep rooms.
He rose as the announcement echoed through the arena, signaling competitors to transition. Around him, the stands buzzed with renewed anticipation.
Ruby leaned over the railing, eyes bright. "You've got this, Jaune!"
Nora bounced in place like a compressed spring. "If they try anything weird, bonk first, then ask questions later!"
Ren gave a small, composed nod. "Remain centered."
Weiss offered a dignified smile. "We will be watching."
Blake inclined her head in a nod.
Yang stepped close enough to bump her shoulder lightly against his. "Try not to make it boring, General Jauney"
He snorted softly. "I'll do my best to provide dramatic flair. Also, when did the General nickname become popular?"
She grinned. "Just now."
"Damn."
He turned, meeting Pyrrha halfway as they began descending the corridor toward the competitor waiting rooms.
The sounds of the stadium dimmed with each step, replaced by the lower hum of reinforced walls. The hallway lights cast long reflections along polished floors, the atmosphere shifting from spectacle to preparation.
The waiting rooms were organized by kingdom. That meant Vale's teams gathered together, while Atlas, Menagerie, Vacuo, and Mistral were separated into their own chambers.
He would not see the other competitors directly.
The other Vale team that had secured victory earlier was already inside when Jaune and Pyrrha entered. The door sealed behind them with a soft hiss.
A large holo screen dominated one wall, currently displaying a wide angle of the arena floor as technicians reset the stage for the next match.
The Vale pair that had won their match turned towards them.
The first was the sword and shield fighter. The second stood slightly behind him, rifle resting casually against his shoulder. The barrel shimmered with subtle elemental residue.
Lightning and frost.
Possibly more.
"Nice work earlier," the gunner said with an easy nod. "You two are up soon."
"So are you," Pyrrha replied warmly.
The sword wielder gave the two of them a measured look. "You've seen what Menagerie can do?"
While phrased as such, it wasn't really a question.
Jaune gave a faint smile. "Hard not to."
They shifted into a loose circle, attention flickering occasionally toward the holo screen as commentators began dissecting the first round results.
"Three wins," the shield bearer muttered. "They're absolutely stacked."
"Every one of their teams had a meta rune user," the gunner added, tone edged with disbelief. "Not just one standout. All of them."
Jaune folded his arms lightly.
"You guys noticed it too huh? Yeah it'll be problematic to fight."
The sword wielder exhaled slowly. "Atlas matching them at three wins isn't surprising. They've always had depth. Though, it was Atlas's meta user that took out of Menagerie's own."
"Mistral's a dark horse too." the gunner said, shaking his head. "You see that green haired chick with her partner. Not sure what kind of Meta rune that team had but, it's pretty strong too."
Jaune's thoughts flickered briefly to the emerald haired girl and her gray haired partner. To the shimmer of whatever illusive power she had put the Atlas team under."
"Yeah, their coordination is unmatched," Jaune said. "It's not just power, but pretty much perfect strategy."
The holo screen flared as the next match began outside. The four of them watched silently for a moment, absorbing movement patterns, rune activations and fight fluctuations.
"That menagerie team with the heat rune or whatever, he was able to take out our Kingdom's team pretty fast too." the gunner asked suddenly, eyes still on the screen.
Jaune gave a short nod. But it was Pyrrha who answered instead. "The concern should probably be focused more about the space rune user rather than the heat user, howeve, I will agree that he's a... problem. Speed from thermal expansion and internal destabilization from external heat application."
Silence settled briefly.
The shield bearer adjusted his grip unconsciously. "So what's the angle?"
Jaune exchanged a brief look with Pyrrha.
"We're working on one, but it probably won't be of any use to you. Maybe, use your frost elemental bullets to stave off the internal temperature increase." she add helpfully.
The gunner gave a crooked smile. "That's an idea that we thought of as well but... it might not be as effective. If we meet them later, we'd appreciate any insight you think of."
Jaune nodded. "Same goes for you. That elemental rotation you use is versatile."
The gunner lifted his weapon slightly in acknowledgment. "Mhmm. Lightning for burst disruption and frost for slow and control. I've got a few more tricks, but those are the main ones."
"Flexible offense," Pyrrha observed. "It pairs well with a defensive anchor."
The shield bearer tapped the edge of his barrier lightly. "Well, we can only adapt. That's the goal."
On the holo screen, a seal was triggered in a bright cascade, and just like that another match concluded.
Round Two had already begun in earnest.
"Which part of Vale are the two for you from?" Jaune asked, a little bit curious.
"Oh! We're from a small city called Fluxen. You heard of it?" The shielder answered.
"Yeah. Its about 2 hours from Ansel, if I'm not mistaken?"
"Right you are. Ansel's a little bigger but there's some nice trade going on around the two cities."
The conversation lulled as their attention focused back on the screen
Jaune rolled his shoulders and exhaled once, loosening tension.
The door indicator above them flickered softly, signaling that it was Jaune and Pyrrha's turn coming up next for the fight.
The gunner gave them both a thumbs up. "Good luck guys. Make Vale proud."
"Thanks."
.
.
The previous match had concluded leaving one of Atlas's falling to Mistral. The next bout was Vale versus Menagerie.
The Ozpin's voice rolled across the coliseum and the crowd responded with a swell.
Jaune stepped onto the polished stone floor with Pyrrha at his side. Across from them stood their opponents.
It was neither the space user nor the heat user.
Instead, it was the other pair they had watched earlier with growing unease.
The girl was petite, almost delicate at first glance. Dark hair framed sharp, luminous eyes that reflected the arena lights like distant constellations. Close up, there was something ethereal about her presence, something that made the air feel thinner around her. Beautiful and unsettling.
Jaune's Weakness rune stirred.
The pressure from her pressed against his special sense like the weight of deep water. Whatever rune she wielded was not simply strong but vast and dense.
Powerful.
Her partner stood a half step behind her, posture relaxed but gaze alert.
The signal flared and the match began.
Pyrrha moved first.
With a subtle flick of her fingers, she released a cloud of microscopic metal particles into the air. Invisible to the eye, they spread outward in a widening net, a silent preparation. The battlefield became hers in unseen ways, each speck waiting for her command.
Light suddenly blossomed around the Menagerie girl like the birth of stars.
From the empty air at her back, enormous arms formed from radiant starlight. They were not attached to her body but anchored somewhere behind her, into a distortion in the space itself. Vast, gleaming taloned limbs with unfurled in slow, majestic arcs before snapping forward with terrifying speed.
They struck towards Pyrrha and Jaune, who were forced to split apart as one of the luminous fists crashed down where they had stood, stone shattering outward in a violent ring.
In that moment, Jaune's runes ignited.
An invisible surge pulsed outward from him, threading toward both opponents. He felt the familiar sensation of siphoning, of drawing something intangible yet vital away from them and folding it into himself.
For a fraction of a second, both of them staggered. A hitch in their balance, but they did not look surprised.
The girl's eyes flicked toward him knowingly. These two had clearly prepared for his runes.
Jaune pushed harder.
He reached for the nearest starlight arm, channeling Weakness into it, attempting to unravel whatever structural integrity held it together.
Unfortunately, when his power struck the luminous limb it slid off like water over polished stone. The pressure he felt earlier deepened, pressing back against his own rune with quiet dominance.
So that was how it was going to be.
Behind the girl, her partner exhaled slowly, and the smoke at his feet thickened.
It rose in curling plumes, gathering density and shape. The first beast emerged in a rolling surge of shadowed vapor. A massive wolf, its form semi translucent yet solid enough to crack the arena floor as it landed. Its eyes glowed faintly from within the haze.
Another followed.
A great horned creature resembling a bull, its shoulders broad and heavy, smoke coiling from its flanks like breath on a winter morning.
They charged.
Jaune braced, drawing on the stolen strength pulsing through his limbs. He met the wolf head on, swords raised as he contended with strength against their attacks. The impact traveled up his arm, but he held firm.
To his left, Pyrrha stepped into motion like a dancer entering center stage.
Metal answered her call, her runic energy coalescing into long, gleaming spears. With sharp, economical gestures, she sent them streaking toward the starlight girl in a deadly barrage.
The luminous arms reacted instantly.
One massive hand swept across, fingers splayed wide, intercepting the incoming projectiles. Spears shattered against radiant palms, exploding into fragments of twisted steel and fading sparks. Another arm lunged forward, attempting to catch Pyrrha in its grasp.
She twisted aside with fluid precision, a second volley forming even as she moved.
Jaune shoved forward, forcing the smoke wolf back with a burst of strength before pivoting to avoid the bull's thundering charge.
He rolled to his feet, breath steadying.
His gaze flicked toward the girl again.
Petite, composed and surrounded by cosmic limbs that moved like extensions of some unseen celestial body.
The battle had only just begun.
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AN: Advanced chapters on patreon