Chapter 84 - A High Order

Eleven years ago, Cero had only been part of the Eclipse organization for a few years. Having racked up thirty of his eventual 243 wins, Cero had already gotten himself a legend. Having made his way into the top ten of the Eclipse at this current time, it seemed as if he was on his way to become the strongest man in Eclipse history. That was until he had a special match arranged. Waiting for him in the ring was a man with shoulder length black hair. He wore a robe and regular MMA shorts. He smiled as Cero approached him. The then current head of the Eclipse, Deacon Desperado.

Deacon: So you're the mighty Cero I heard about. I've always wanted to stare back at the abyss, so you're giving me that opportunity.

Cero: Why should I care? I'll crush you like the rest.

Deacon: Then let's have a little deal. If you win, you get to entirely kill me and take my position as head. But if I win, you have to join my group.

Cero: Kill you? I have no need. You losing your position and being humiliated is more than enough for me.

Deacon smiled, their match quickly going underway, only for Cero to eventually fall to one knee, Deacon having deflected and redirected each of his blows.

Deacon: You're strong, crazy strong. But I can tell you're being held back by your own strength. You don't want to destroy yourself with that insane strength. I got a little secret I'll show you, partner.

Cero gritted his teeth, but he could sense the truth behind Deacon's words. With only a little hesitation, Cero grabbed Deacon's hand, their fates becoming intertwined. From that day forward, Deacon worked endlessly and eventually gave Cero the ability that would allow him to unleash his true strength: Limiter.

…

Daymond: Because of the previous head's involvement, Cero holds back his strength to prevent collapsing in on himself. But because of this, he's become even more powerful.

Bodin: It's also that same Limiter that allowed you to win over him, right?

Daymond: Indeed. At that time, the previous head seemed to be the one in charge of when the limits would come off or not. But now Cero has evolved and claimed the ability for himself. He is without a doubt the strongest he's ever been.

Ryan throws both fists forward, Cero letting out a sigh before grabbing onto both of his wrists. Ryan's eyes open wide in shock. All the strength from his punches fading away as Cero's grip gets stronger.

Cero's thoughts: KenShinka Style: Void Form - Chaos

Masked reacted to Cero's move, the man behind him glancing at the fight as well.

Masked's thoughts: He completely dispersed the power of Ryan's attacks through pure force. I think people would normally call this "hard redirection." Cero's gotten strong… too strong…

Ryan tightened his muscles, trying to pull away from Cero's hold, but Cero's strength seemed to increase.

Cero's thoughts: Limit Removed 25%

Ryan flexed his muscles, and through pure strength, broke himself away from Cero's hold, but Cero waited for this exact moment. Ryan's arms instinctively shot back into the air, Cero taking a large step back before lunging forward.

Cero's thoughts: KenShinka Style: Demon Form - Devil Trigger x Limit Removed 60%

Cero's following punch utilized an extreme amount of power towards a specific vital to Ryan, Ryan's eyes rolling back as he flew far from Cero. Ryan's back slid across the ground, Cero breathing heavily as he watched Ryan lay motionless on the ground.

Masked's thoughts: Did he do it?

Kammy smiled as the referee got back up on his feet, moving close to Ryan before waving his arms in the air.

Zachary: WE HAVE A WINNER!! THE WINNER OF THIS MATCH IS CERO RAY LAMOTTAAAAAA!!!

The audience erupted into cheers, Cero letting out a sigh of relief before looking back at Ryan with a smile.

Cero: You did well. Improve your grappling and strikes more, and you may have a chance at defeating me.

Cero walked away from Ryan, heading back to the hall where Kammy jumped into the air cheering.

Kammy: You did it! You won!

Cero: Was there ever any doubt? As long as Daymond is around, I must face him at the end.

Lorisian, Jason, and Xavier stand in silence before Jason puts his hands behind his head and walks into the hallway.

Jason: Welp, I guess that was to be expected. He isn't rank number two for no reason.

Lorisian: Squire, wherefore doth thee seemeth so uneffected?

Jason: It doesn't matter how strong he is, Ryan forced him to give us some real useful information. Plus he isn't the first big brute I had to deal with.

Xavier: Didn't make my job any easier. Oh yeah, and Lorisian wasn't the only thing I wanted to tell you about. I heard that the Azufield family is here.

Jason turned to look at Xavier before turning back around.

Jason: Yeah, that makes sense. And with them here that almost guarantees "she" is here as well.

Lorisian's head darted towards Jason, his body creating a shocked expression.

Lorisian: "She"!? Squire who is't is this "she" thou art talking about!?

Jason: Oh yeah you never did meet them. Lorisian remember before the tournament started when you asked about if I've been in a relationship, and I said it was a very complicated story?

Lorisian: Of course.

Jason: "She" is that very complicated story.

…

Gonzalez, Remy, and Abraham sit in silence before Gonzalez leans back in his seat.

Gonzalez: Cero is just the beast I remember him being. Theodore interacted with him first, never getting the chance to fight him, obviously. But with being a king, he interacted with the previous head and his faction quite easily. Now I know why none of us were encouraged to ever fight him.

Abraham: He will most definitely be a large hurdle we'll need to overcome. Remy! Defeat your next opponent then defeat Cero! Bring honor to the Imperium!

Remy: That's a really high order!

Gonzalez: Don't forget, you're going up against Nupan of the Arachna. He is certainly no pushover.

Remy: Yeah… But I have faith in myself. I will win this. I'm going to go get prepared. I've been in my attire all day.

Abraham: Take your time. It appears that they're trying to figure out how to deal with the damage currently.

Remy looked back at the ring, noticing all the damage that Cero and Ryan had littered it with. He gulped before heading to the closest exit and stepping out into the halls. Gonzalez crossed his arms.

Abraham: Something the matter?

Gonzalez: I hope Remy doesn't get too nervous. He becomes his own greatest downfall when he's nervous.

Abraham: True. Him, you, and me are all that remain of the Imperium. Three guaranteed victories!

Gonzalez: Sure.

…

Nupan stretches a bit in a changing room, his sword sheathed on the bench before he throws some jabs into the air. The door slowly creaked open, Nupan stopping in his place and seeing Dianshi walk into the room.

Dianshi: You seem particularly excited.

Nupan: Of course, this is the tournament I've waited so long for. I finally have a chance to fight!

Dianshi: True, you and Arthur were the most excited when the boss originally brought up the idea, much to Shizu's dismay.

Nupan: She's just a stick in the mud, let us have our fun.

Dianshi: Of course. But Nupan, I have some important matters to discuss with you.

Nupan turned to face Dianshi, who wore a serious look on his face.