RECAP:
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Sorry

Meetra Surik: What did you see when you looked at him?
Visas Marr: A man, nothing more.

The fate of Remnant hangs in the balance as Ruby, Pyrrha, and the remaining defenders of Beacon make a final stand against a fully-powered Darth Nihilus.

Tropes in this chapter include:

An Arm and a Leg: Although Ozpin's explosion fails to kill Nihilus, it shatters his Aura and vaporizes his left arm all the way up to his elbow.
Attack Backfire:
- The first time that Penny tries to use her Dust energy beam on Nihilus, she becomes horrified to see Nihilus absorb her attack and reflect it right back at her.
- After discovering that Penny is a robot, Nihilus tries to destroy her by overloading her circuits with the largest torrent of Force Lightning that he's ever produced. Instead of hurting her, the electricity gets absorbed by Penny's body and quadruples her power. Penny promptly uses this impromptu upgrade to hit Nihilus with a renewed laser blast that sends him flying across the courtyard, taking out a huge chunk of his Aura in the process.
Blood from the Mouth:
- Pyrrha has blood pouring out of her mouth after Nihilus impales her with his sword.
- Nihilus starts vomiting up blood as his body starts to die from unknowingly severing the Force Bond Pyrrha held with Jaune.
- After stabbing himself through the stomach, Jaune gurgles blood from his mouth before collapsing to the ground and passing away.
Broke Your Arm Punching Out Cthulhu: Nihilus is ultimately defeated, but it comes at the cost of Pyrrha, Ironwood, and Penny's lives, as well as the destruction of Beacon Academy and Ozpin using up all the stored kinetic energy in his cane.
Call-Back: While fighting Penny, Nihilus reflects the former's Wave-Motion Gun back at her using the exact same technique that Cinder against him in "Death".
Call-Forward:
- At the start of the chapter, Ironwood regrets not bringing along his BFG, which he first uses in Volume 8 of the show.
- Ozpin taps into his cane's power to create a massive explosion in a similar manner to how Oscar does the same in Volume 8 to temporarily kill Salem and destroy the Monstra.
Calling Your Attacks: Glynda shouts "SLINGSHOT!" at Ironwood right before the two perform their Combination Attack on Darth Nihilus.
Character Death: Jaune, Pyrrha, Ironwood, and Penny are all dead the the end of this chapter.
Delayed "Oh, Crap!": It takes Nihilus a few seconds to realize just how badly he screwed up when his Force lightning supercharges Penny to 400%. He reacts by giving a Quizzical Tilt and it takes a few seconds of silence for his mental Oh, Crap! to set in.
Didn't See That Coming:
- It never occurred to Nihilus that by making Jaune into a Force Wound, he also gave Jaune the ability to create Force bonds such as the one that he unknowingly made with Pyrrha. As a result, when Nihilus kills Pyrrha, his own body also starts dying due to the Synchronization his host shared with Pyrrha.
- Much like Cinder in canon, Nihilus is similarly blindsighted by Ruby's silver eyes, which he had absolutely no knowledge about and has no way to defend against. All Nihilus can do is crane his head in perplexity before letting out a scream of terror and agony as his body is overtaken by the light from Ruby's eyes combined with the Fall Maiden's magic. He is also caught off guard when Ruby is the next recipient of the Fall Maiden's powers after Pyrrha's death, as he was unaware of how the succession process for the Maidens worked.
Fantastic Nuke: After their trap fails, Ozpin resorts to using the stored energy in his cane to produce an explosion brighter than the sun which encompasses the entire school and can be seen from miles away. Shockingly, Nihilus is able to survive the blast, although he loses his his arm and is barely able to continue fighting.
Fascinating Eyebrow: Around the start of their battle, Nihilus attempts to stab Pyrrha with Crocea Mors, only for his blade to suddenly shift the the side at the last second, causing him to miss. This leads Nihilus to raise his eyebrow in slight confusion until he recalls Pyrrha's Polarity Semblance that lets her manipulate magnetism.
Field Promotion: Realizing that he might not survive the upcoming battle, Ironwood gives Winter a field promotion to Brigadier General and tasks her with finishing the evacuation should he die.
Good Hurts Evil: Ruby's Silver Eyes draw on the God of Light's magic and are fueled by her love for her family and friends. When she uses them against Nihilus, they cause extreme pain to the Sith Lord who screams in horror and the light purges nearly all of Nihilus' essence from Jaune's body.
Good Old Fisticuffs: Nihilus and Ironwood get into a fistfight after the former is disarmed of his sword. Nihilus uses his lightning-enhanced fists while Ironwood uses his prosthetic arm.
The Hero Dies: Both Jaune and Pyrrha die at the end of this chapter.
Hope Spot: Through some excellent teamwork combined with Pyrrha's creative use of her Maiden powers, the heroes seem to have subdued Nihilus and Penny is in the process of pulling the Mask of Nihilus away from Jaune's face. Then Nihilus snaps out of his stupor and enters an Unstoppable Rage, breaking free of his restraints and turning the tables on the heroes.
"I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: After using her Silver Eyes to disrupt Nihilus' control over Jaune, Ruby then inspires Jaune to resist Nihilus long enough for him to commit a Heroic Sacrifice.
Ruby: Jaune! Jaune, if you can hear me, fight him! Please!
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice:
- Nihilus kills Pyrrha by stabbing her through the stomach with Crocea Mors after using his telekinesis to make Pyrrha miss her attempt to do the same to Nihilus.
- After regaining control of his body, Jaune uses his sword to stab himself in exact same manner that Nihilus killed Pyrrha.
Instant Death Stab:
- Pyrrha dies within seconds of being stabbed through the stomach by Nihilus.
- As soon as Crocea Mors's blade goes through his stomach, Jaune takes all of two steps backward before promptly keeling over dead.
It Only Works Once: Back in "Legends", Alpha and his crew being droids meant that there was nothing Nihilus could do to harm them, seeing as he was an incorporeal spirit whose powers were limited to influencing minds and draining life, both of which are useless against inorganic machines. Here, however, Nihilus has a physical body and access to all his former powers. As a result, when he tries to drain Penny's life and discovers that she's a robot, Nihilus is still able to destroy her by using his telekinesis to crush her body into a ball of scrap.
It's Quiet… Too Quiet: As they wait for Nihilus to arrive, Ozpin notices that the sounds of fighting around them has ceased and the school is now completely silent. He realizes that this means Nihilus has killed everyone else and is now headed their way.
Ozpin: Do you hear that?
Ironwood: I don't hear anything.
Ozpin: Neither do I. All sounds of battle within the school have ceased.
Karmic Death: Nihilus is (temporarily) finished off by Jaune, the boy he spent the entire series manipulating and whose body he hijacked. His body dies from being stabbed in the stomach with Crocea Mors the same way that Nihilus killed Pyrrha just moments ago.
Killed Off for Real: Pyrrha and Amber. While speaking with the two inside her mindscape after receiving the Fall Maiden's powers, Ruby is hopeful that she will be Sharing a Body with them, only to be told that won't be the case since she inherited her powers naturally, meaning that both of her predecessors will be heading to the afterlife once their conversation is over.
Ruby: Does, does that mean both of you will be living in my mind as well?
Amber: [shakes head] No, I don't think so. The only reason Pyrrha here got stuck with me was because Ozpin fused our Aura's, and the Maiden's power just came along for the ride. You'll just be getting the magic, no hitchhikers.
Last Breath Bullet: Just as Nihilus seems to have been all but defeated and is about to be dealt a killing blow by Pyrrha, he uses his telekinesis to cause Pyrrha to miss her finishing blow and then uses his remaining strength to impale Pyrrha through her stomach with his sword.
Line in the Sand: After informing Ruby that her teammates have been found and are being treated for their injuries, Ironwood points out that she could Opt Out from the final battle and use her Semblance to reach the evacuating Bullheads in time. Although she briefly considers it, Ruby is determined to stay and help Pyrrha defeat Nihilus.
Logical Weakness: After learning from Penny that her Semblance isn't Super-Speed but rather a form of molecular disassembly and reassembly, Ruby and Pyrrha surmise that if it were used on someone being constricted by Nihilus' telekinesis, it would free them from his hold since disassembling their bodies at the molecular level leaves no moveable mass for Nihilus to control. Their theory is proven correct when Ruby uses it to rescue Pyrrha when Nihilus has her in his telekinetic grip.
Major Injury Underreaction: Ozpin unleashes all the stored up energy in his cane, enveloping Nihilus in a magical explosion equivalent to that of a small nuke which leaves his body burned and missing an arm. Despite being so injured that he can only limp forward, Nihilus doesn't seem to notice or care that his left arm is gone or that he has third-degree burns all over his body.
Meaningless Villain Victory: For a brief moment, it seems as though Nihilus has won, having defeated Ozpin and killed Pyrrha. However, the explosion from Ozpin's cane left him so weakened that he doesn't even have the strength to drain her magic, leaving him unable to absorb the Fall Maiden before the spirit transfers its powers to Ruby. At this point, even if Nihilus could somehow resist Ruby's Silver Eyes, he has no way of taking either Ruby's or Ozpin's powers without his Force Drain.
Mirthless Laughter: Ruby lets out one when he sees that Nihilus somehow was able to survive being hit by Ozpin's Fantastic Nuke.
Neck Lift: Nihilus makes his entrance by holding an Alpha Beowolf by its throat while walking towards Beacon Tower. He then drains the Grimm's life before turning his attention to the heroes.
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: A twofold example results from Nihilus killing Pyrrha. Firstly, by killing Pyrrha, Nihilus unknowingly severed the Force Bond that she had formed with Jaune. Since Nihilus was possessing Jaune's body, the massive psychic backlash that results from her death nearly kills him and leaves him extremely weakened. Secondly, because Pyrrha was thinking of Ruby as she died, Ruby becomes the next Fall Maiden while simultaneously unlocking her silver eyes from a Traumatic Superpower Awakening caused by witnessing Pyrrha's murder. This gives Ruby the power to exorcise the Dark Side from Jaune's body, allowing Jaune to retake control of his body and perform a Heroic Sacrifice, thereby putting an end to the threat posed by Nihilus.
Not Quite Dead:
- When Ozpin releases the stored energy in his cane, it produces an explosion that engulfs all of Beacon and reduces the academy to rubble. However, when the smoke clears, Nihilus is still alive, albeit near-death and missing an arm.
- Even after Nihilus' physical form is obliterated by Ruby's Silver Eyes, and his host kills himself, Ozpin can sense that Nihilus' spirit continues to inhabit his mask, which was unscathed by all the fighting.
Offscreen Moment of Awesome: On his way to confronting the heroes, Nihilus took out all the remaining combatants from the Battle of Beacon offscreen.
Oh, Crap!: Penny has this reaction when she sees that Nihilus has broken free of Ozpin's magic-induced trance and is giving her a Death Glare.
Power-Strain Blackout: After using her silver eyes for the first time to temporarily free Jaune from Nihilus' control, Ruby collapses to the ground and is unable to do anything other than crane her neck to watch as Jaune kills himself. She makes a small recovery, though she struggles to walk properly and can only stumble over to Jaune's corpse.
Pretender Diss: Nihilus offhandedly dismisses Glynda's telekinesis as a "poor mirror" to the abilities of Force-users.
Pyrrhic Victory: By the end of the chapter, Ruby and Ozpin have finally defeated Darth Nihilus. However, it comes at the truly staggering cost. Several of the heroes (including Jaune and Pyrrha) are dead, Ruby is left emotionally scarred by the whole ordeal, and the Mask of Nihilus has survived the battle, ensuring that Nihilus isn't truly dead and could easily return someday. Things only get bleaker when one looks at the bigger picture. Beacon Academy (a symbol of hope for the entire world) is reduced to a pile of rubble, the City of Vale is lost to the Grimm, and Vale's CCT Tower is destroyed, shutting down communications across all four kingdoms.
Quizzical Tilt:
- When Ozpin in all his Tranquil Fury demands to know the reason behind Nihilus' actions, Nihilus slightly tilts his head to the side while contemplating the headmaster's words.
- Nihilus tilts his head in confusion when he sees that his Force lightning has supercharged Penny instead of destroying her.
Roar Before Beating: When Penny nearly removes his mask, Nihilus completely loses it and lets out a terrifying roar before breaking free of his restraints and delivering a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown on all of the heroes present.
Say My Name: Happens in spades throughout the chapter.
- Ruby screams out Penny's name when she sees Nihilus telekinetically crush the android into a ball of scrap.
- Ruby screams "PYRRHA!" when she sees Nihilus impale Pyrrha with his sword. She later shouts Jaune's name after watching him kill himself by stabbing Crocea Mors through his stomach.
- As Jaune is preparing to stab himself, Nihilus roars out "JAUNE!" from within his mind before demanding to know what he's doing.
- Ruby shouts out Jaune's name as she stumbles over to Jaune's corpse after watching him stab himself with his sword.
"Shaggy Dog" Story: For Nihilus, who puts himself through the wringer in his pursuit of Ozpin's and the Fall Maiden's powers. By the end of the chapter, he's covered in burns and scars, has depleted nearly all the Force energy he spent the last few chapters building up, and has had his left arm blown off. Just as he kills Pyrrha and believes he's won, it's revealed that the final battle left Nihilus so worn out that he doesn't even have the necessary strength to use Force Drain. At this point, even if Nihilus had killed Ruby and Ozpin, there would've been no way for him to absorb their powers, rendering everything he did in this chapter moot.
Shield Bash: Pyrrha manages to down a weakened Nihilus by slamming her shield into his stomach so hard that it drives all the air out of his lungs.
Shut Up, Hannibal!: As Jaune prepares to stab himself, Nihilus tries to talk him out of it by screaming at him that he is nothing without Nihilus to prop him up. Jaune, however, has had enough of Nihilus' manipulations and shuts him up with his response:
Jaune: All you did was twist me into a fucking parody of who I was! You destroyed everything I worked [for], killed and hurt those I loved! You took everything from me! And now, I'm going to take everything from you.
This Is Gonna Suck: Pretty much sums up Nihilus' reaction when he realizes that instead of destroying her, his Force lightning just made Penny four times stronger.
When Penny reopened her eyes, they glowed green with overflowing energy. "Aura reserves at 400% capacity." she reported as she glared at Nihilus with a look of pure determination.
Nihilus tilted his head.
[Beat]
Oh.
Thwarted Coup de Grâce: At the end of their battle, Pyrrha has Nihilus on his knees before her and is about to finish the Sith Lord off by stabbing him through the heart. However, just as Pyrrha thrusts her blade forward, Nihilus uses his telekinesis adjust the angle of her sword, causing Pyrrha to miss and only graze his shoulder. She doesn't get much time to react as Nihilus immediately follows this up by driving his sword through her stomach, killing her.
Title Drop:
- "I'm sorry" are Pyrrha's Last Words before her body falls limp and she dies from her injuries. She repeats these words to Ruby while they are talking inside her mind.
- Jaune's first words upon regaining control of his body is to tell Ruby that he's sorry.
Trash the Set: Beacon Academy, the combat school which served as the primary setting for the story, is reduced to rubble by Ozpin when he unleashes all the stored energy in his cane against Nihilus.
Traumatic Superpower Awakening: Similar to canon, Ruby unlocks her silver eyes after witnessing Pyrrha get stabbed through the stomach by a Not Quite Dead Nihilus.
Use Your Head:
- During their brawl, Nihilus uses a headbutt to stun Ironwood long enough to drain his life.
- After breaking free of his restraints, Nihilus slams his head into Penny's face so hard that he shatters part of her outer shell.
Villain Respect: Pyrrha manages to earn Nihilus' respect through her subtle use of her Semblance to make Nihilus miss his sword strikes by slightly shifting his blade's movement to the side. Though he claims to have only been impressed for "all of two seconds", it was still memorable enough that Nihilus uses it himself to kill Pyrrha near the end of the chapter.
Villainous Breakdown: After spending a large portion of his previous appearances as The Stoic, Nihilus goes through three of these over the course of his battle with the heroes.
- His first breakdown happens when he corners Penny and tries to drain her life, only to discover that his Force Drain is unable to kill her because she's an android. This causes Nihilus to howl in rage before he uses both of his hands to unleash the largest torrent of Force Lightning he's ever conjured onto Penny, her total destruction being the only thought in his head.
- When the heroes have him subdued and Penny starts pulling his mask off, he flies off the handle and goes completely apeshit, letting out a terrifying roar before suddenly breaking free of his restraints and delivering a frenzied beatdown onto Penny, Ironwood, and the rest of the heroes.
- Just before Jaune stabs himself, Nihilus has one last breakdown where he's Suddenly Shouting at Jaune from inside his head and loses what little composure was left in him.
Watching Troy Burn: After Ozpin taps into his cane's stored power to unleash a magical blast, the story cuts to the perspectives of the hundreds of students, soldiers, and civilians miles away, who all look on in horror as a massive explosion engulfs Beacon and reduces the school to a pile of rubble, leading many to shed tears at the destruction of what was supposed to be a beacon of hope for the world.
The Worf Barrage: Downplayed on both examples.
- At 400% power, Penny's energy beam is as powerful as a turbolaser, the type of weaponry used on capital ships. Although Nihilus tanks a direct hit with his Aura intact, it still sends him flying across the courtyard and legitimately made him go Oh, Crap! the moment before it was fired. Nihilus also claims that the energy beam would have killed him had his Aura not been supercharged.
- In canon, the explosion from the stored kinetic energy in Ozpin's cane was able to instantly vaporize Salem, the Monstra, and most of her Grimm army during the Battle of Atlas. When Ozpin uses it here as part of a last-ditch effort against Nihilus, the Sith Lord survives the explosion (albeit with his Aura depleted, his clothing torn, and his left arm now missing).