Chapter 41 - Beyond Elite

A pool of blood began to form as Arthur felt his life expunge from his body. Clutching his chest, Arthur looked up at the masked figure looming above him, pain contorting his face. Turning to his attention away from the fighter staring down at his body, Arthur looked at the bat that had been cleanly sliced through.

Zachary: VALHALLA HAS ROARED!! And it might have sliced into The Circus! Is this the end for Arachna's clown?

Arthur's thoughts: So this is what boss was referring to… My my what a powerful trump card.

Compression, the act of controlling every muscle throughout the human body and pushing them to their absolute limit. Then in one explosive burst, all that power is released into a singular action. For The Masked Man, this action was the swinging of his gargantuan sword. Inspired by the unrivaled strength of his friend Ryan Magni, he dubbed the attack as "Valhalla".

Overlooking the mortally wounded Arthur Hickory, Masked stood unmoving whilst he let his body recover from the drawbacks of Valhalla. For using such a powerful attack, the price to pay is muscular strain throughout the entire body. The strain might not last too long, but for a short amount of time, the body becomes extremely tired and must rest.

Masked has only used Valhalla a handful of times so outside of himself, nobody else knows about this weakness.

Daymond: The match was seeming touch-and-go there for a little while, but even I didn't expect things to end so one-sided. Come on Hickory, show everyone, no… show me why I chose you to be a part of my Arachna.

. . .

Ringding Sisters Circus, 5 years ago

Jamie McGinnis: Thank you one and thank you all for coming out to the show. I hope you found the performances extravagant, and can't wait for your continued patronage in the future. Have a good night.

The ringmaster made his way off of the event stage and went behind the staff-only curtains of the large tent. The performers were all resting after another successful show, amongst them being the biggest talent this circus had to offer, Arthur Hickory. Typically McGinnis' eyes glimmered brightly whenever he went to discuss Arthur's act with him, but tonight they carried a hint of discontent. Approaching the juggler with a heavy sigh, McGinnis looked down at Arthur, the latter of whom was sitting in a chair lighting a cigarette.

Arthur: Oh, hey. Great show tonight.

James: Yeah, yeah great show. But Arthur…

Arthur: I'd rather you call me Hickory.

James: Alright, Hickory. Aren't you getting bored of doing the same act over and over again? Don't you think the audience deserves more?

Arthur: Are you telling me that juggling bats while riding a unicycle on a tightrope isn't exciting? One mistake would mean my death so I think that is the closest to the danger zone I'm willing to push myself.

James: You are a stubborn one aren't you? Look, I know show business and I also know when people are losing interest in an act. I'm sorry but until you're able to improve your performance I will be pulling you from the show.

Arthur: You can't be serious.

Without giving him an answer to his question, McGinnis turned around and walked away from Arthur. A flurry of emotions entered Arthur's mind at that very moment. Anger, disappointment, weakness, these were just some of the more prominent feelings dominating Arthur as he pushed his chair back onto its rear legs, taking a long huff of his cigarette.

???: Personally, I haven't gotten bored of your performance one bit.

Arthur flicked his head towards the shadows of the room he was in. Occupying the space was a figure that he has never seen before, every instinct in Arthur's body telling him that this man was powerful.

Arthur: Only performers are allowed back here bud, so make your business quick. If you were listening in, I'm not really in a good mood.

The figure stepped out of the shadows, his appearance being on full display for Arthur. He was a young-looking man that wore a purple trench coat decorated with a fur collar. In his right hand, he carried a book, which he slammed shut as he stepped towards Arthur.

Daymond: I can tell that you have talent, a talent that is put to waste in this environment. I want you to join me. I want to use your talents to their fullest potential on a stage that would completely dwarf this one that doesn't hold your ability in high regard. I would go more into detail, but first I want to guarantee that you will be joining my side. My name is Daymond Theraposa, and one day I plan on defying this world.

Daymond reached an outstretched hand towards Arthur. This might have been their first meeting, but Arthur could tell that he was serious. A smile grew on both of their faces as they clasped hands, cementing their unadulterated trust in one another.

Arthur: Do you mind if I call you boss?

Daymond: Do as you wish.

. . .

Painted in his own blood, Arthur began to lift himself up from the ground he was brutally sent crashing into. The large slash on his chest burned, but Arthur wasn't going to let that one strike be the deciding blow. The Circus had one more performance left in him.

Masked: You truly are stubborn aren't you?

Arthur: I'm sorry but until I see the curtains close, the show must go on.

Tightening his grip on the last remaining bat in his hand, Arthur charged at Masked. Releasing an audible sigh, Masked grabbed hold of his sword and swung it at the wounded clown. Backstepping before the swing could slice him, Arthur now had an opening to finish The Exiled off. Immediately as he stepped into the range of Masked's attacks, that same large pressure from before could be felt emanating from The Masked Man. Taking a hard step forward, Masked swung his sword, slamming the blunt side of the weapon into Arthur's head.

Masked: Valhalla!

Arthur's final assault was read with ease, as Masked then proceeded to send the fighter flying across the arena, Arthur's unconscious body slamming into the arena's wall. One final sigh was released from The Masked Man, who turned his attention back towards the entrance he first came from.

Masked: This is a grand tournament after all, so sorry but I decided to show off a little bit.

Referee: WE HAVE A WINNER!!! AND THE WINNER IS THE MASKED MAN!!!

Cheers erupted from the audience as a medical team came out to carry the unconscious Arthur away, treating his wounds in the process. While walking in his entrance Masked passed by Ryan who stayed watching the match from that up close the entire time.

Ryan: That was a great fight.

Without even batting an eye towards him, Masked walked past the hulking fighter. Ryan was now filling with dread, seeing that a good friend of his has now changed. But it was not only that they changed, but they seemingly have changed for the worse.

Li let out a sigh before looking back at the two others beside him.

Li: I knew the top ten guys were dangerous, but this guy is on another level.

Thong: You aren't kidding… His skills were terrifying…

Li and Thong turned to Hugo, seeing the giant smile across his face.

Hugo: Now this is exactly what the hero of the story needs! All the odds are against me, huh?

Li: You aren't even fighting him yet.

Thong: Yeah, first… You need to face Moll.

A shiver went down Hugo's spine before he ran a hand through his hair before turning to the door of the room they stood in.

Hugo: Welp, worrying about it won't do me any good now. You're my students, so it would be pretty cowardly if I got scared now.

Li: But we're not your-

Thong raised a hand in front of Li's face before turning to Hugo.

Thong: Are you sure you're ready for this? You just saw what one top ten could do. As much as I don't want to say it, I'm worried.

Hugo closed his eyes as he walked to the door.

Hugo: Then just watch me. I know you two will be cheering for me with all you got!

Hugo walked outside of the room, Li and Thong watching as he disappeared from their sights.

Thong: He's strong…

Li: Yeah, but the world between us and them is insurmountable. But it's like he said, no point in worrying about it now. We made it this far, so we'll just need to support each other, right?

Thong: Yeah… I believe in Hugo!

Li's thoughts: I don't, but Thong seems to be in better spirits now. What about you, Mikey? Are you out there supporting us too?

…

Zenzo, Joseph, and Hamadeen all sit in the stands, Joseph eating popcorn as he watches the match come to a close.

Zenzo: As expected, that masked fellow is as terrifying as ever.

Hamadeen: This level of strength was quite terrifying.

Hamadeen turned to Joseph, who seemed entirely unfazed by the match.

Joseph: If you thought that match showed a person's level of strength off, wait until this next one.

Zenzo smiled as Hamadeen nodded.

Zenzo: This will be quite interesting…