"Winter vs. Cinder" is a battle that takes place in "The Final Word" of Volume 8. After Winter Schnee obtains the powers of the Winter Maiden, she goes to fight Cinder Fall to protect Jaune Arc and Weiss Schnee.
Preceding Events[]
Winter and Cinder's battle was immediately proceeded by battles against others. Cinder, allied with Neopolitan, ambushed Team RWBY, Jaune Arc and Penny Polendina in the Evacuation Central Location, attempting to obtain the Relic of Creation and Penny's Maiden powers. Yang Xiao Long was knocked into the void beneath the paths early in the fight, and after betraying Neo, Cinder managed to cast her, Ruby Rose, and Blake Belladonna in as well. Having broken Weiss Schnee's Aura and seized both the Staff and the Lamp, Cinder closed in on her, but Jaune and Penny moved to protect Weiss. Alerted by her Grimm arm that Salem had restored herself, Cinder used flames to divide Penny from her allies, then stabbed her with her claws. However, Weiss attacked and drove her back before she could drain Penny's Maiden Powers.
Meanwhile, Winter battled James Ironwood in the Atlas Vault, attempting to stop him from pursuing Penny and Team RWBY. Despite her skill, Winter was no match for Ironwood's durability, and after a prolonged fight, he managed to break her Aura, knocking her down.
Jaune attempted to heal Penny with his Semblance, saying that Weiss could hold off Cinder and buy them time; however, Weiss was no match for the Fall Maiden in single combat, even with her Aura intact. Knowing they couldn't let Cinder gain the Maiden powers, Penny asked Jaune to end her life, so that she could make a choice of who to pass her power on to. Jaune finally obliged, stabbing Penny with his sword; his cry of anguish distracted Cinder just as she was about to kill Weiss.
As Penny died, she passed the powers to Winter, whom she considered her friend. Winter tearfully thanked her for trusting her with such a gift, then used her new-found power to defeat Ironwood with a single blow. She then flew into the portal to face Cinder.
The Fight[]
Enraged at the Maiden's power having escaped her again, Cinder conjures a flaming sword and attacks Jaune, shattering Crocea Mors and demanding to know where they have gone. The answer comes almost immediately as Winter, floating above them, hits Cinder in the back with a blast of ice, enraging her further.
The two Maidens rocket toward each other, colliding with such force that the impact generates an explosion. The first two times time they lock blades, Winter holds the initiative, forcing Cinder back and firing more blasts at her. After several more clashes, they lock blades again. This time Cinder tries to push Winter back, but Winter flies up before she can, hitting the Fall Maiden with another bolt of ice and throwing her backward. She uses her Semblance to summon a flock of small Nevermores, which fly toward Cinder. Cinder conjures many red-hot blades and launches them at the Nevermores, destroying several, but the rest get through and swarm around her, attacking from every side. Infuriated, Cinder generates plumes of fire around herself, incinerating the summons.
As Weiss and Jaune stagger toward the exit portal, Cinder and Winter clash several more times. Finally, Winter makes a lunge for the Staff on Cinder's belt, managing to seize it. However, Cinder spins around and strikes Winter with her sword, knocking her backward; she loses the Staff, which falls onto one of the paths. Unwilling to risk exposing herself to Winter in a race for the Staff, Cinder instead launches a fire ball at Jaune and Weiss; Winter immediately notices the danger. Jaune manages to deflect the flames with his Disc Grenade, but the force of the attack throws him and Weiss backward. As Winter flies toward them at high speed, Cinder generates an explosion under their feet, breaking Jaune's Aura and throwing Weiss off the path before Winter can reach her. Winter watches in horror as her sister plummets into the void. She lands next to Jaune, taking a moment to vent her grief and frustration, before angrily focusing on Cinder, who has recovered the Staff.
Before the Maidens can resume their battle, an intense scream shakes the pocket dimension, alerting them that Salem cannot be far. With Jaune reminding her that they need to go, Winter vengefully tells Cinder that she will pay for everything she's done, then flies toward the Vacuo portal. Cinder flies back through the portal to the Atlas Vault and activates the Staff. A second later, the portals and paths begin to dissolve. Jaune rushes to catch up to Winter as the path behind him crumbles; Winter sees him lagging behind and tries to turn back, but she has already reached the portal and is sucked through to Vacuo. The Vacuo portal vanishes just as Jaune leaps for it, and he is dropped into the void.
Image Gallery[]
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