MISSION 22: Legendary Battle

The lights dimmed, and the audience fell silent. This was it. Jaune and Mundus were about to confront each other at last. There were still some questions lingering on everyone's minds. Why did Mundus lure Jaune onto the island to begin with? Did the King of Grimm truly kill the Brother Gods? What happened to Trish? Why does Jaune keep taking the appearance of his ancestor, Ozma? The projector turned on, and they knew their questions were about to be answered.

The episode started with Jaune standing in a large throne room. To his utter surprise, everything was made of marble, and a bright light shone throughout the King of Grimm's lair. Taking a deep breath, the Huntsman continued forward, approaching another statue of Mundus. This idol of the King of Grimm was the biggest yet, easily the size of a large building just sitting down. The statue lounged in a giant throne, which was made of marble, just as everything else was. The skulls of two dragons adorned the armrests of the King of Grimm's seat, which the statue's fingers were curled around, as though in the act of caressing the morbid decorations.

When Ozpin saw the skulls, his eyes became very wide, as he recognized the two dragons by their horns and antlers.

"Dear gods," he whispered, his very breath ragged with fear and surprise, "What has Mundus done?!"

Jaune made his way up to the statue, looking up at the King of Grimm's face, watching as the black gem embedded in its forehead glinted as light reflected off of it. There was a quiet noise, as though wind was rushing throughout the throne room, and then, a voice filled the air.

"Again, I must face an Ozma," Mundus crooned, the statue's eyes seeming to look down upon Jaune with contempt. "Strange fate, isn't it?"

"Oh gods, Mundus is really here!" Ruby whimpered. "I was hoping that statue would just be another idol of him!"

"You and me both," Yang told her in a small voice.

"Strange and ironic that it will end the same way!" Jaune challenged the King of Grimm, his voice echoing throughout the throne room.

"But can it really?" Pyrrha asked quietly, her heart pounding for all to hear. "Mundus is the King of Grimm! He's a virtual god!"

"Jaune's never let us down before," Ren pointed out.

"Yeah!" Nora nodded. "He's fought and defeated a godlike entity before, surely he can do it again!"

"Heh, heh, heh," Mundus chuckled, disregarding Jaune's threat. "Irony has favored you, this time." The gem embedded in his forehead began to focus a bright column of light on the wall above the entrance. "Look." Confused, the Huntsman turned around and gasped. Just over the doorway was a familiar red-haired woman, who was shackled to the wall by her wrists.

"Trish!"

"What?" Velvet gasped, confused and shocked by this revelation.

"Mundus didn't kill her?" Coco asked, surprised. "Then what is he using her for?"

Jaune took a step forward, preparing to rush to Trish's aid. 

"Don't even think about it," Mundus told him flatly. "Blink, she dies." Enraged, the Huntsman whirled around to face the King of Grimm.

"You!" Before he could do anything else, however, Mundus's eyes flashed. A trio of red energy spears leapt from his face, bypassing Jaune's Aura and stabbing into his chest! "AAAAAHH!" the Huntsman shrieked, dropping to one knee as pain shot through his entire body.

"Jaune!" Trish called out in horror.

"JAUNE!" This cry was mimicked by most of the audience.

"No warning whatsoever!" Qrow growled, enraged at Mundus's dirty trick.

"He was never intending to fight Mr. Arc!" Ms. Goodwitch realized, a look of sheer horror upon her face. "He was planning on catching him off guard this whole time!"

Trish struggled against her manacles, as Jaune continued to write in pain.

"Fool!" Mundus sneered, relishing in the Huntsman's agony. "Heh, heh, heh. So sad that humans will always be humans, no more." A bright light began to shine from the black gem embedded in the King of Grimm's head, as he charged up an attack. "Has the Ozma blood been spoiled over the ages? Ha, ha, ha!" The light grew brighter and brighter, until suddenly, there was a flash. "Now die!" Mundus roared, as a large beam of destruction leapt from the gem, screaming towards Jaune, who was struggling to get to his feet.

"Jaune!" Straining with all her might, Trish managed to break free from her restraints,  and promptly leapt for the Huntsman's aid. Landing right next to him, she pushed Jaune out of the way of the attack. Unfortunately, that also left her still standing in its path. Trish cried out as the beam of energy slammed into her, causing her collapse to the floor.

"Trish!" Jaune cried out in horror and alarm.

"PYRRHA!" Ruby, Yang, Blake, Weiss, Nora, Velvet, and Coco all screamed, as the Invincible Girl watched herself die. Ren put a hand on her shoulder, doing his best not to let his emotions show. The adults were all stunned.

"Oh no!" Kali gasped, a hand over her mouth.

"He killed her!" Tai spluttered, eyes wide and hands trembling. "That vile beast killed another one of his own followers!"

"He's a monster!" Ghira growled. "A cold, heartless, monster!"

Jaune ran over to Trish's body, kneeling before it, his face heavy with grief.

"Trish! No..." he whimpered, his head bowing down as he tightened his fists.

"Useless scum," Mundus growled. "Failure is one thing, but taking an odd behavior like that..." the King of Grimm stopped his musings as he noticed Jaune trembling on the ground. "What is the matter?" Another bright light began to emanate from the black gem. "It is time to end your pitiful life now!" A second beam of energy leapt from his forehead, but this time, Jaune didn't even try to dodge. Instead he stood and turned, his eyes flashing red. Instantly, the beam of energy was redirected, hurtling into a nearby wall instead, where it exploded, sending shards of shrapnel and tufts of smoke tumbling to the ground.

"Whoa!" Sun jumped, surprised at the sudden feat.

"How did he do that?" Cinder demanded, watching the screen in awe. "Has he unlocked a higher form of power than he has already?"

A blood red smoke began to surround Jaune, as he faced the King of Grimm, standing tall and proud.

"How much longer are you going to keep zapping?" the Huntsman demanded. "Come out and show yourself, Mundus!"

As if in answer to Jaune's demand, the room began to rumble, as Mundus prepared to reveal himself. The statue on the throne began to crack and crumble, a bright light emanating from within. Large shards of marble fell from the idol's body as a figure seemed to grow from within. The statue's hands suddenly clenched, pressing down upon the armrests of its throne, before its mouth opened to let out a roar. The idol pushed itself up to its feet, towering over the Huntsman as it continued to break away, until all that was left was a humanoid figure made of light, which quickly began to take a solid form.

The scene cut for a few moments to show Jaune take a step backwards, as the shadow of the King of Grimm loomed over him. A pair of wings suddenly unfurled from his back, sending several pure white feathers fluttering to the ground.

The scene switched back to show Mundus, revealing his true form at last. His appearance was similar to the idols of himself, but there were obvious joints on his body where his appendages were able to bend, such as his arms and legs. A massive pair of white wings grew out of his shoulder blades, dwarfing even the largest of Nevermore wingspans. Long, black hair flowed down his back, and his eyes now glowed with a yellow light. A large crack was centered in the middle of the King of Grimm's chest, were a light emanated out of. Mundus spread his arms, and instantly, a starry night sky appeared behind him. This image washed over both human and Grimm, enveloping the two in an infinite universe of the King of Grimm's own design.

"That... was not what I was expecting," Mercury admitted, looking upon the King of Grimm with surprise.

"That's Mundus?" Emerald demanded, caught off guard. "How can the Emperor of Evil be so... beautiful?"

"Those eyes..." Mundus commented, studying the Huntsman as the drifted through the expanse of space. "Deep in them, I see the same light as in Ozma's eyes." Jaune frowned as he looked down at his feet, attempting to calm his nerves.

"Why Pyrrha?" he asked, wanting an explanation behind his heartbreak.

"That useless being?" the King of Grimm grunted. "If you want her so badly, I can create as many as you want." His mouth curled into a smile. "Just like I created Trish." This had not been the answer the Huntsman was looking for, but now he didn't care anymore, either.

"Silence!" Jaune demanded, glaring at the King of Grimm. Mundus spread his wings and arms, letting out a roar and causing several stars to show themselves in the infinite void he and the Huntsman were confined to. Then, folding his wings around his body, the King of Grimm began to rise into the air, slowly spinning in a circle. Jaune arched his arms, then leaped up after Mundus, his body spiraling as he flew up into the sky.

"And now, he takes on the form of Ozma," Adam predicted.

Jaune quickly ascended into the sky, overtaking Mundus and rising up past him, before he stopped spinning, and spread his arms and legs. With a flash of red lightning, the Huntsman unleashed his true power, taking on the form of Ozma.

Jaune's body was now adorned with black scales, with long claws and talons growing out of his fingers and toes, respectively. A draconian helmet covered the top half of his head, a pair of horns curving back towards four large wings growing out of his shoulders. As he hovered in midair, Mundus quickly rose up to meet, before he too, stopped spinning to showcase his body. The King of Grimm folded his arms in front of his chest, then let out a humorless laugh as he regarded the Huntsman with cold eyes.

The audience was silent. The stage was set. The clash of the titans was about to begin.

Jaune immediately rushed forwards, hoping to catch the King of Grimm off guard, but with a flap of his wings, Mundus propelled himself backwards, putting a ridiculous gap between him and the Huntsman. Growling, Jaune was forced to slowly fly his way towards the King of Grimm, but that meant he'd be at the mercy of whatever was thrown at him in the meantime. Mundus began his attack, raising his right hand over his head, fire crackling between his clenched fingers. Several flaming meteors screamed out of the sky, descending towards the Huntsman at an alarming rate. It was all Jaune could do to dart in between the fiery rocks, dodging them to the best of his ability. Before the meteors had even stopped falling, however, the King of Grimm had raised his left hand, electricity crackling down the length of his arm. Bolts of lightning leapt down from the sky, forcing the Huntsman to fly erratically to avoid be struck. But as soon as the lightning had relented, Mundus stretched his arms out in front of him, red light emanating from his palms. Hundreds of spears of red energy surged towards Jaune, forcing him to do nothing but dodge a third time.

"His power..." Cinder gasped in terrified awe of the King of Grimm's strength.

"This is insane!" Sun spluttered, his eyes wide. "How is Jaune supposed to beat this guy?!"

"You're not being very talkative," Jaune noticed, as he flew up in the air to avoid more energy spears racing towards him. "Why are you so quiet all of a sudden?" Mundus didn't answer. Instead, he folded his wings in front of himself, and with a sudden flap, propelled himself further backwards, as well as releasing a second volley of energy spears, forcing the Huntsman to continue dodging. "Well? Answer me!" Jaune demanded.

"What is there for me to say?" Mundus shot back. "You don't waste words on the flies you swat, so why should I behave differently?"

"...Damn," Yang said finally.

"Is that all we are to Mundus?" Weiss gasped. "Mere insects to be smashed by him?"

"You claim you're going to defeat me?" Mundus sneered. "Then why haven't you attacked even once?"

"I'm getting to that!" Jaune grunted. "Just hold still- Argh!" The Huntsman's rebuttal was cut short as a giant asteroid suddenly appeared out of the darkness, smashing into him. Jaune was sent spiraling backwards, his Aura flashing heavily.

"Oh no!" Ruby yelped, covering her mouth.

"You're a disgrace!" the King of Grimm spat. "A human like you is not worthy of the power of Ozma! Just give up, and perhaps I'll consider making your death quick and painless."

"That's not happening!" Jaune growled, weaving around another couple of asteroids thrown his way. "I have to defeat you! I must avenge them all! Ozma, Pyrrha, Trish! And I'll make you pay for the horrors you've put Qrow through!"

"Qrow? You mean my previous guest?" Mundus scoffed, as the Huntsman swooped under a fourth asteroid barreling towards him. "He is nothing but a failure to his wife, and a nobody to his daughter. He confronted me a few months back, hoping to avenge his fallen lover. You saw how that turned out for him. How anyone could care for a wretch like him is beyond me."

"Ouch," Qrow winced, hurt by the words onscreen. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see Tai smiling at him.

"Don't worry, Qrow. The girls and I care about you very much."

"I knew that." Then he tilted his head. "But thanks."

"Enough!" Jaune snarled. As a fifth asteroid flew towards him, the Huntsman straightened his body, turning into a barrel roll. As he connected with the giant rock, he tore through it like a drill.

"What's this?" Mundus grunted, momentarily surprised.

"Here's a gift from Ozma! Choke on it!" Jaune roared, thrusting an arm forward. A large orb of red energy leapt his hand, slamming into the King of Grimm's head. A large explosion enveloped his face. When the smoke had cleared, Mundus's face was twisted into a scowl, and a fiery residue crackled on his face.

"Hey! He actually landed a hit!" Nora pointed excitedly. "Go Fearless Leader!"

"So, you do have the power of Ozma," Mundus seethed, bringing a hand to his face. "I remember this familiar sting quite well." Then he shook his head. "But do not think a measly fireball will be enough to defeat me! Your demise is inevitable!" The King of Grimm snapped his fingers, and instantly, six large stone orbs appeared around him, firing off smaller, faster, white energy spears. Jaune did his best to avoid these projectiles, but his Aura still flashed repeatedly as several jammed into his body. 

"More than a fireball, you say?" the Huntsman mused. "Well then, how about this?" Jaune flipped his body forwards, swinging his clawed hands down in an X formation. Several waves of red energy leapt from the tips of his claws, rushing towards the King of Grimm. Growling, Mundus tucked his arms in front of his chest to protect himself, but paid the price for it as several long cuts appeared on his arms.

"There's another hit!" Pyrrha pointed. "Maybe Jaune can defeat Mundus after all!"

"Damn you!" the King of Grimm seethed, removing his arms from across his chest. "To think that I could be wounded like this by a mere human!" Mundus stretched out his arms, and immediately, the six orbs he had summoned up crumbled to dust. Sticking out his fingers, he moved his hands in a circle, ancient runes appearing behind his hand motions. Once he was surrounded by a ring of runes, the black gem embedded in his crest lit up, before a beam of white energy fired out, moving horizontally across the sky. This caught the Huntsman off guard, and he could only cry out in pain as the laser smashed into him. Jaune was sent tumbling head over heels, his Aura flashing heavily and repeatedly. "Just die already!" Mundus flapped his wings, and rushed towards the Huntsman, his giant fist cocked back, ready to strike.

"Look out!" Velvet squeaked, covering her eyes.

At the last moment, Jaune managed to swoop out of the way, narrowly avoiding the brutal punch thrown at him by Mundus. As the King of Grimm flew past, the Huntsman thrusted a hand forward, launching another orb of fire into the back of Mundus's head. Another explosion enveloped the King of Grimm's head, but with a sudden spin, all of the smoke was cleared away. Mundus smirked at Jaune, his red eyes flashing with malicious intent.

"All right, what is he up to?" Ren murmured, knowing that look whenever Nora was plotting something.

"My, my, it's been a while since I've had to exert myself in a fight," Mundus commented, as Jaune began to rush towards him again. "The last person to give me this much trouble was some silver-eyed bitch who thought she could play Grim Reaper." Upon hearing these words, the Huntsman froze.

"What did you just say?" he demanded.

"Is he talking about... Summer?" Tai choked on his own breath.

"M-mother?" Ruby whispered.

"She was a fool to challenge me," Mundus scoffed. "I am the God of Death! Nothing can ever hope to overcome me, for I eventually overcome everything! Yet she tried." The King of Grimm's mouth curled into a sinister smile. "It was rather satisfying to watch the hope drain from her face, before I crushed her under my foot."

"You son of a bitch!" Yang roared.

Qrow was huffing angrily, his arms trembling with rage. Maybe Mundus didn't exist in their world, but he would never forgive the King of Grimm for taking Summer away from him.

"Why that miserable bastard," Ozpin hissed, surprising even himself at his sudden profanity.

With a scream of outrage, Jaune sped forwards, attempting to ram right into the King of Grimm.

"Ha! You fell for it, fool!" Mundus laughed. He held out a hand, crackling with electricity. Then, he closed his fist. Suddenly, bolts of lightning arced all around the Huntsman, trapping him in a giant net of electricity.

"Damn it!" the Huntsman swore. "He was baiting me in, and I fell right for his trap!"

"Humans, how I adore your kind," Mundus sighed, smiling as he looked upon a Jaune. "So small, so frail... so easily manipulated." He brought up a hand to snap his fingers. "I grow tired of looking on you," he told the Huntsman. "Farewell, Jaune Arc."

"No!" Pyrrha cried.

"Come on, he can't lose now!" Sun groaned.

"There's got to be some way to escape that attack! There's just got to!" Weiss stated.

"Wait!" Jaune demanded. "Answer me this: Were you responsible for the Fall of Beacon?"

"Of course I was," Mundus admitted. "I swore that Ozma would pay dearly for his treachery against his own kind two thousand years ago. It was quite easy to convince a group of people to join my cause, especially when I promised them dominion over humanity in my new world." The King of Grimm's eyes flickered with morbid humor. "Of course, I had no intentions of keeping those promises. Poor Cinder," he laughed. "She came to me on the worst day of her life, hoping that I wound take pity upon her miserable existence. But in the end, she was just another puppet for me to contort and control until she was of no use to me anymore."

"I was a what?" Cinder gasped, shocked at this revelation. Meanwhile, Qrow's eyes narrowed, as he recalled an event he had taken part of several months ago.

"You're a monster," Jaune whispered, his entire body trembling with fury from within his electric prison. "A heartless, bloodthirsty monster."

"Perhaps. But you needn't worry. After all, you won't have to exist in this world any longer!" Mundus raised a hand, and snapped his fingers. "Begone!" The electric cage grew unstable and then exploded in a blinding flash of light. When the electric surge subsided, Jaune was gone.

"NO!" screamed Ruby.

"He couldn't have killed Jaune! He couldn't have!" Pyrrha wailed.

"Mr. Arc?" Ozpin whispered, eyes wide with horror.

Mundus smirked as he watched tufts of smoke evaporate into the emptiness of space.

"And so it ends," he declared. He spread his arms wide, showcasing his divine body. "Hahahahaha! It is as I've said all along. I am the God of Death, and death overcomes everything!" The King of Grimm threw back his head, letting out a loud, malicious laugh, until suddenly, an orb of red energy slammed into his face, causing him to reel back in surprise and pain. "What?!" Reverting his attention back in front of him, Mundus howled in outrage. "How?!" Flying above him, arms folded and a triumphant grin on his face, was Jaune.

"Alright, Jaune!" Sun whooped.

"Yeah! Give him hell!" Yang cheered.

"I got you monologuing, you stupid brute!" Jaune chuckled, as he watched the King of Grimm go rigid in frustration. "It stalled you long enough for me to find way to escape. Now you and I are close enough to fight on equal terms!" The Grimm Huntsman stretched his clawed hands over his head. "And it's about time I wrapped this up."

"I'd watch that arrogant tongue of yours!" Mundus snarled, as his black gem began to light up. Once again, he moved his arms in a circle, archaic symbols trailing after his hands. "Behold my vengeance, and despair, Spawn of Ozma!" He completed his somatic motions just as a bright light flashed above the Huntsman's hands. As the King of Grimm's energy beak leapt from his crest, a roar echoed throughout the dimension, before a large, red dragon appeared above Jaune.

"Oh, snap!" Mercury wheezed.

"Is that the power of Ozma?" Emerald gasped.

"He can conjure up energy dragons!" Ruby squealed. "Take him down!"

Jaune's dragon flew forwards, intercepting Mundus's attack. But to the King of Grimm's surprise and horror, the dragon powered right through the beam of energy, before smashing into his chest. With a groan, Mundus was thrown backwards, the crack on his chest growing bigger.

"He got him!" Nora cheered.

"Way to go, kid!" Qrow laughed.

With a growl, Mundus flapped his wings, fighting himself. His eyes flashed, and three more energy javelins leapt from his face. Jaune managed to dodge the first one, but then gasped in pain as the other two stabbed into his body.

"Oh wait! Oh, no!" Nora yelped, as she saw this.

Mundus lifted his giant fist, which surrounded itself in fire, before driving it downwards onto Jaune. The Huntsman was sent spiraling downwards out of the sky, several flaming meteors screaming after him.

The scene cut to show Jaune slamming down onto a large, circle planetoid, on the outer ridge of a giant pool of lava. As he lay there groaning on the ground, several of the meteors fell out of the sky as well, bombarding him with explosions as they smashed into him and around him. With the smoke had cleared away, the Huntsman was pushing himself up onto his feet, back in his human form as his Aura flickered, and then shattered.

"Ugh, that's gonna leave a mark," he wheezed, slowly rising to stand. It was at that moment he noticed a large shadow covering the planet. "Wha-" Jaune looked up, and visibly deflated. "Oh, no."

Mundus was descending out of the sky, his arms spread wide to showcase his body. All of the damage Jaune had dealt to him had resulted in some cracks appearing over his pure white body, and a strange, reddish-black fluid was slowly oozing out of his chest cavity. The King of Grimm slowly landed on the planetoid, sinking up to his waist in the lava pool. Even so, he still towered over the Huntsman. Mundus's wings furled up behind him, as he loomed over Jaune.

"Let's finish this," he sneered.

"How is he supposed to beat Mundus without Aura?!" Ruby demanded.

Mundus immediately slammed a fist downwards, attempting to crush Jaune, but the Huntsman rolled out of the way, before jamming the Harbinger into the King of Grimm's arm. With a hiss, Mundus retracted his hand, watching as more of his dark blood dropped from his fresh wound. However, he just shook his head, and then smiled at Jaune.

"You know, it's funny. Although I hate you because of your relation to Ozma, I still owe you thanks, Jaune," he chuckled. This caused the Huntsman to tilt his head.

"What for?" he questioned. "I've done nothing but kill all your henchmen and stand against you. In fact, we wouldn't even be having this battle right now if you hadn't lured me to this island in the first place. In response, the King of Grimm threw a hand outward, causing a large horizontal wave of energy to leap from him. This zoomed towards Jaune, who rolled under the attack.

"Indeed," Mundus agreed. "But they were all necessary sacrifices."

"For what purpose?!" Jaune demanded. "You throw away your own men's lives just for revenge?"

"Of course not!" the King of Grimm spat, stretching out a hand and causing another round of energy spears to leap from his hand. The Huntsman did his best to deflect these with his sword, though he still grunted in pain as one tore across his shoulder, drawing blood. "Must I really spell it out?" Mundus demanded. "How did you even get into my domain?"

"Simple, right through the front gates!" Jaune shot back. "But what does that have to do with-" Suddenly, his eyes widened. "Oh my gods!"

"What? What did Jaune do?" Sun demanded, confused at everyone's horrified expressions. Weiss managed to break her attention away from the screen long enough to whisper in the Faunus's ear, causing his tail to go rigid. "Oh my gods!" Sun gasped, echoing his friend's words onscreen.

"That's right!" Mundus laughed. "The doorway between your world and my own is wide open. After I finish you, I can freely invade Remnant at my leisure. All your family, your friends, all of them belong to me now, and it's all thanks to you!"

"Not if I stop you first!" Jaune barked, pulling out his grenade launcher. He fired a round at the King of Grimm's face, but a simple upwards motion from Mundus's hand caused a large chunk of rock to rise out of the lava, shielding him from the attack. Four large grey orbs appeared around the pool of lava, rotating rapidly.

"Do you honestly believe you can save them?" the King of Grimm scoffed. "You couldn't even save that red-haired wench! Either of them, I might add." Mundus unfurled his wings, causing hundreds of swords made of red energy to rain out of the sky. The Huntsman ran for his life, attempting to stay out from under the swords, but he was still cut a couple of times across the back.

"Damn, this is intense!" Tai groaned. "It feels like every attack Mundus unleashes will be the one to finish Jaune off!"

"Come on, dad!" Ruby whined. "Could you at least try to be a little positive?"

With a snap of Mundus's fingers, several pillars of fire began to rise up out of the ground beneath a Jaune, who dodged them with expert flips and spins.

"Sorry, Mundus! I've already learned how to dodge that attack from Tyrian!" the Huntsman taunted.

"Very well, then. How about this?" Mundus thrust his hand down into the lava. There was a bubbling noise, before a long, horned serpentine creature burst from the pool of molten rock. It slithered over to the Huntsman, letting out a roar.

"Oh, come on!" Jaune groaned. "Just how strong are you?!" He was forced to jump away as the lava serpent snapped at him. The beast inhaled deeply, then unleashed a torrent of fire, forcing the Huntsman to flip away. Jaune rushed forwards, swing the Harbinger and slicing off the lava serpent's head. Even as the conjured creature reverted back to a lifeless puddle of molten rock, the four orbs lining the arena suddenly transformed into balls of light, which moved to circle around Mundus's head, like a halo. Then, with a flash of the King of Grimm's black gem, all four orbs of energy leapt towards the Huntsman. He attempted to dodge out of the way, but to his surprise and horror, the radiant projectiles homer in on him. Jaune was enveloped in another series of explosions.

"Not again!" Yang groaned.

"Can he even live through that without his Aura?!" Velvet gasped.

Jaune groaned as he struggled to stand back up. His clothes were now tattered and torn, and blood was leaking out of several large gashes adorning his body, including his forehead. The Huntsman managed to pull himself into a kneeling position, where he stayed crouched, gasping for breath.

Alright, stay calm, he thought to himself. I know I can hurt him, or else he wouldn't be bleeding. But unless I can deal one serious blow to him, he'll just keep dragging this fight on, until I collapse from exhaustion. But where can I hit him? His entire body is as hard as rock! As Jaune weakly lifted his head to gaze at Mundus, he noticed the black gem glinting in the light of the lava. Wait, that gemstone in his head! It lights up or at least glimmers every single time Mundus uses his magic. That must be important to him! It's settled, the Huntsman grinned, rising to stand up tall. I'll hit that gemstone, or die trying!

"This is it, the next few seconds will determine the victor of this fight," Ms. Goodwitch whispered, gripping the arms of her chair.

"I'm almost too nervous to watch," Coco admitted, taking off her sunglasses to wipe the sweat from her face.

"Give him hell, Jaune," Adam smirked, knowing in his heart who the victor was going to be.

"Well, Jaune Arc," Mundus sighed. "As amusing of a plaything you make, I grow tired of this farce." He brought back a hand, quickly forming a fist. "Die in despair!" The King of Grimm threw his fist forwards, aiming to crush the Huntsman. But Jaune thrusted the Harbinger forward an instant later, causing it to extend into lance-form and intercept Mundus's attack, piercing his hand, drawing more of his black blood. "Argh!"

"I couldn't agree more, Mundus!" Jaune shouted, as he held his ancestor's sword in front of him. "It's time to end this, once and for all!"

"You!" Hissing in displeasure, the King of Grimm conjured up four more giant spinning orbs, then raised his hands over his head. Several fiery meteors fell screaming out of the sky, hurtling towards the Huntsman. Luckily, Jaune was able to dodge the falling rocks by running around the perimeter of the lava pool. The final meteorite exploded just behind him, however sending him tumbling to the ground. "Why can't you just accept the futility of this and let me kill you?!" Mundus snarled, clapping his hands together, smoke billowing between them. A large ring of fire surrounded the Huntsman, who scrambled to get out of it. He dived out of flaming circle just as a giant fiery dragon burst from the ground, flying up into the sky with a roar. Jaune rolled to his feet, the tail of his trench coat now of fire. He pulled out his grenade launcher again, sending another round at the King of Grimm's face. "Fool! You already tried that!" Mundus snapped, bringing up another slab of stone to block the attack.

"Actually, you are the fool!" the Huntsman retorted. "You've lost, Mundus!"

"What are you talking about?" the King of Grimm grunted. Taking a running start, Jaune leapt forward, grabbing onto the edge of the rock, before pulling himself up onto the stone platform.

"It's over, Mundus!" the Huntsman announced, drawing the Harbinger. "This is for all of Humanity, and the Faunus race as well!" He brought the Harbinger over his head preparing to throw it. The King of Grimm, in turn, summoned the four orbs back over to him, transforming them into spheres of light.

"DIE!" Mundus bellowed, sending the orbs streaking towards the Huntsman. However, to his surprise, the Huntsman backflipped off the platform, avoiding the orbs and causing them to collide with each other, exploding harmlessly away from him.

"For Ozma!" Jaune shouted, lobbing the Harbinger forwards in scythe-mode. It spun through the air, but flew straight and true, slicing into the King of Grimm's face. A long cut appeared on his face, and with the sound of glass shattering, the large gem embedded in his forehead cracked, blood oozing out of the wound.

"NOOOOO!" Mundus howled, clutching at his face. All of his wounds were now bleeding more profusely, and smoke was beginning to billow for his torso. The King of Grimm's wings unfurled, pulling him up into the air, but now, they were alight with flames, and feathers were falling from them at a rapid pace. "It can't be! A god, defeated by a mere human?!" Mundus stretched his arms up into the sky, as a bright light began to surround his entire being. "IMPOSSIBLE!!!" he wailed, as the light enveloped the entire screen.

Almost every mouth in the audience was hanging open, as they struggled to comprehend the events they had just witnessed. Then, finally, Ozpin broke the silence.

"He did it," the Headmaster of Beacon gasped. "He defeated Mundus!" The theater exploded in jubilation.

"Hooray for Fearless Leader!" Nora cheered, hugging Ren tightly, a huge grin on his face as he clapped.

"I knew he could do it, I just knew he could!" Pyrrha sobbed, crying in relief.

"Did you see that?" Ruby squealed, bouncing in her seat. "Jaune beat Mundus! He beat the King of Grimm all on his own!"

"Attaboy, Vomit Boy!" Yang whooped.

"He actually did it!" Velvet laughed. "He won!" Weiss, Blake, Ms. Goodwitch, Ghira, and Kali all applauded, as Coco and Sun catcalled.

"I don't believe it," Cinder stammered. "Jaune defeated the King of Grimm by himself? Just how powerful is he?!"

"I... I don't know," Emerald gulped, working at the screen in shock and awe.

"Well, I for one am rooting for him!" Mercury smiled. "I respect strength, and he's strong enough for me." In the midst of the celebrating, Adam sat quietly in his seat, musing over Jaune's victory. A small smile appeared on his face.

"Not bad, Jaune Arc," he smirked. "Not bad at all."

When the light had subsided, Jaune was standing back in the King of Grimm's throne room. All of his injuries still littered his body, though they had stopped bleeding so profusely, and his clothes were tattered and torn. For a man who had just defeated a virtual god, the Huntsman instead looked somber, as he stood over the lifeless body of Trish.

The celebrations began to die down, as everyone remembered Pyrrha's counterpart's sacrifice.

"Oh yeah, this," Sun winced.

Jaune's lip trembled as he knelt before Trish.

"Pyrrha lost her life to protect me," he murmured. "And now you too." The Huntsman extended a shaky hand to scoop up the woman's body, cradling her in his hands. "I should've saved you," he whispered, before he raised his head towards the ceiling. "I should've been the one to fill your empty soul with LIIIGHT!" Jaune cried, silver tears running down his face. One of the tears dropped onto Trish's cheek, where it lay still, glistening. Sniffling, the Huntsman laid the woman gently on the ground, before removing his tattered trench coat, draping it over her body. "Pyrrha always liked the color red," Jaune sobbed. "Now the two of you have finally been avenged." Then, taking the Harbinger from his back, the Huntsman drove it into the ground, next to Trish's head. "Ozma is also here, now," Jaune whispered. "Rest, in peace." The screen faded to black, signifying the end of the episode.

The audience was quiet again, most now sniffling or sobbing. Jaune had indeed defeated Mundus, but it had cost him nearly everything. The world was safe, and yet, it still felt wrong to rejoice when the Savior was suffering and miserable. So why did it feel like their was something missing? Why did it feel like things had yet to be wrapped up?

.................................

"Okay, the blonde blockhead's epic voice crack was pretty funny," an Ursa admitted. "But still, what the hell?! The boss lost way too easily!"

"Yeah!" a Death Stalker agreed. "He didn't even summon up his invincibility shield, like our boss can!"

"This story sucks!" a Nevermore squawked unhappily. Mundus shrugged.

"Eh, we already knew I was going to be defeated," he pointed out. "I couldn't go all out on the Huntsman, otherwise." The King of Grimm smirked. "But I don't think it's over yet," he continued. "Because he didn't actually kill me."

"Are you sssure?" a King Taijitu asked in surprise. "He sssliced you across the face. Ssseemed pretty ssserious, to me."

"True enough, but remember that one warrior who managed to slay me a millennium before Ozma even came into existence?" Mundus reminded his horde of henchmen. "I didn't fade away in a flash of light. My body tore apart in a violent explosion! I even leveled an entire forest and blew a huge crater in the side of a mountain."

"I remember that," an ancient, Alpha Beowolf chuckled, remembering the incident. "So many dead animals. You were quite popular with the peasants of the surrounding kingdoms. They ate like kings for months!"