Chapter 40- Vale Tudo

Zachary: What is this? The Masked Man is already preparing to use his vale tudo? How will The Circus respond to this change in strategy?

Arthur stopped himself in his tracks, taking a quick backstep with the sudden change in Masked's stance. For someone to willingly forgo the advantages that a weapon grants left Arthur with more questions than answers.

Arthur's thoughts: From all the fights of his that I have seen of his, Masked rarely switches to his unarmed stance. Typically he has only done this with opponents that were pretty strong. *heh* Guess I really am too powerful to deal with.

Vale Tudo is a Brazilian martial arts system that while being similar to most mixed martial arts, has fewer rules than those systems do. These fewer regulations make the fighting style out to be more aggressive, with practitioners being extremely durable.

Simon: I wonder if Hickory sees it yet.

Nupan: Sees what?

Simon: It shouldn't take you too long to notice.

Arthur continued to juggle his bats now waiting for Masked to make a move. During this small time frame, he made sure to keep a close eye on Masked's eyes which flicked back and forth with every rotation of his juggle.

After a brief pause in the action, Masked moved forward into Arthur's range of attack. Instinctively Arthur tried to swing at Masked, but when he gripped his right hand closed he grabbed at nothing but air. In one swift movement, Masked kicked Arthur's left thigh and struck the juggler in the temple with a left hook.

Nupan: Ah I see now. So he changed tactics to take advantage of the greatest weakness in Hickory's style. Hickory's attacks might be quick and powerful, however, they all come from Hickory's right side. Once you have a read on his pattern, countering him becomes a matter of timing.

Simon: Not only that but with their individual weapon specializations, Masked was at a disadvantage. Masked's weapon might have a larger range of attack, but its weight adds too much delay between swings. For a lot of fighters, this doesn't prove to be much of a problem but for more dexterous people such as Hickory and I, it makes all the difference in the world. Utilizing his vale tudo solves both of these problems.

Nupan: Ok but even Shun and Yussuf have trouble keeping up with Hickory's attacks, and it's pretty fair to say that the two of them are faster than Masked.

Simon: He must have some pretty good eyes on him then.

Still clutching onto the bat in his left hand, Arthur takes his first left swing of the match. The bat slammed into Masked's side but rather than hearing the sound of bones shattering, his ears were instead met by the echo of two metal objects clashing.

Zachary: What skill! Even when he isn't wielding his sword Masked can still find a use for it while it is on his back!

Masked pivoted his body slightly to avoid any damage the swing would have caused. Immediately after this, Arthur was able to finally get a grasp on a bat with his right hand. The bat was brought down on Masked's head with enough force to potentially bend metal.

Arthur's thoughts: And with that it's ov…

Suddenly Arthur was swept off of his feet as Masked got a firm grasp on the back of his legs and tackled him to the ground. Along with Arthur, the sound of multiple metal bats plinking against the ground.

Ryan: So he moved with the impact of the hit instead of being carried by it to reduce the damage dealt by the blow. His reaction times have shot through the roof since the last time I have seen him fight.

Masked lifted his upper half up from the ground, keeping his legs in a position that used his knees to pin Arthur to the ground.

Masked: We are on my turf now.

Arthur tried to swing at Masked with the bat in his left arm, only for Masked to slide along the right side of Arthur's body. Masked kept Arthur's right leg pinned down with his own and with Arthur's arm now raised up from the missed attack, Masked bent himself over Arthur's body and grabbed onto his arm with his right hand. Once he had a grasp on his arm, Masked began holding it down and pressuring Arthur's entire arm by pinning it between his left bicep and his left forearm. The hold was complete once Masked grabbed his own right wrist with his left hand.

Arthur's thoughts: Out of all the matches I've seen of this man he has never once grappled. If I don't do something soon I will be as good as finished.

Zachary: OH and what a tight hold Masked has on his opponent! Will Arthur be able to get things off the ground before it is too late?!

Arthur: Don't jinx me there Zach!

Masked began to shift his weight onto Arthur's head while pushing his arm into his own bicep. Arthur might have had a free arm, but in his current position, it was extremely difficult to maneuver. However, if Arthur didn't move, the sword on Masked's back would slice right through him. The blade of the large weapon began to cut into Arthur's skin, a gash forming across his body. Wiggling his arm into the best place he could, Arthur then swung the bat in his hand towards Masked.

Masked's thoughts: You don't think I've considered that already?

In the middle of Arthur swinging at Masked, a sudden change in placements occurred. Masked loosened his grip on Arthur and rolled onto his back. Wrapping his arm around the nape of Arthur's neck, Masked tucked Arthur's chin into his shoulder and enclosed his thighs around Arthur's hips. Before even being able to think about his next action, Masked pressed his hand against Arthur's forehead, putting immense pressure on the head and neck.

Arthur: God damn you really are…

His two bats in hand, from the disadvantageous position he was in, Arthur slammed them into Masked's skull.

Arthur: A pain in the ass!!!

Masked's body released its grasp, Arthur finally sliding out of the grapple he was in and creating space between himself and the Exiled. Blood was clearly flowing from Masked's head but despite this damage, the fighter hopped back onto his feet as if he wasn't damaged at all.

Zachary: Arthur has finally escaped the grappling of The Masked Man! Both fighters appear to be reeling with damage as they return the battle onto their feet.

Ryan Magni: Reeling? They might both be bleeding but neither look to be immensely damaged. That should be changing about now though.

Feeling the ground around him with his foot, Arthur was able to make contact with one of his bats. Kicking the bat into the air, Arthur was able to enter another juggling of his weapons, this time though only using three bats instead of six. Looking forwards towards the masked fighter, Arthur was able to regain the grin on his face.

Arthur: I see now. I might not know the specifics of how, but I doubt you are reading me on instincts alone. So just tell me what those implants in your face really let you do?

Masked: *sigh* They allow me to show weaklings like you the true gap in our power.

Grabbing onto the handle of his sword, Masked redraws his weapon and points the blade at the smiling Arthur. An idea suddenly came into Arthur's head, a new tactic to try and bring down this masked menace. Rather than charging towards Masked once more, Arthur took one of the bats he was juggling and threw it at The Masked Man. To the average onlooker, this looked like a desperate attempt to gain the upper hand. Unsurprisingly Masked was able to block the attacks with ease by raising his sword in front of his face.

This however proved to be the wrong move on Masked's part, as Arthur dashed at Masked in that small moment and was able to land a solid strike on Masked, slamming him in the chest. Under his mask, Masked coughed up a little blood, and Arthur's grin grew larger as he went in for a final strike on Masked.

Arthur: Au revoir Mr. Top Ten. Thank you for being a stepping stone for me to advance.

With his bats firmly in his grip, Arthur put his full force behind this last swing as he aimed to crush Masked's already damaged skull. But before the attack could connect, A large pressure could suddenly be felt emitting from Masked. Masked swung his sword and sliced right through the bat that Arthur was gonna strike him with.

Arthur: Eh…?

Continuing the flow of his attack, Masked once again swung his sword and sliced into Arthur's chest. An explosion of blood erupted from the wound, Masked then proceeding to kick Arthur in the head and send the fighter crashing into the ground.

Masked: It's always the cocky fighters like you that never seem to understand how outclassed they truly are.