Chapter 115 - Severed

Twenty years ago in an old Eclipse stadium…

Two men who seemed to be nearly twenty years apart sat on a bench, their bodies bruised. Sweat dripped down their bodies. Exhaustion was clear between them. However, they laughed together, their faces full of content. One of the men was in his late thirties and the other in his late fifties.

Midori: You're still as strong as ever, Moll.

The bald man, the one known as Midori Kageyama, had a red mark of a punch on his face. He faced the man with the brown bearded face. Blood dripped from the man's mouth, but he wore his smile as proudly as ever.

Moll: Here I thought I'd be able to beat old bones like you easily. I guess I should never doubt a Kageyama.

Midori's smile slowly faded, his face becoming more melancholy as he turned his attention to his dear friend. Moll quickly picked up on Midori's change and stopped laughing entirely.

Midori: Why did you reject the chance to become a Dragon Candidate? You're well aware of what status that is and all the potential rewards you may receive if you become the Dragon.

Moll sat in silence, averting his gaze to the ground, having a slight smile. Midori could see a light in Moll's eyes, seeing something was truly more important to him.

Moll: Because I would have to leave all of you. I wouldn't be part of the Eclipse anymore. I wouldn't be able to be friends with you anymore. When you're a Candidate or Guardian, it becomes a pretty lonely existence. I value my friends and time here far more. Plus, I want to make sure I'm around as long as possible so I can teach future generations just how good we were.

Midori closed his eyes, a similar faint smile growing on his face. He punched Moll's shoulder, Moll letting out an "ow" before jokingly rubbing his arm.

Midori: I should've expected as much from you. You were always someone who wanted to be seen by all.

Moll: I've gotten to see plenty of strong folk. I want to make sure I can see so many more. Just imagine what the future of this organization can bring.

Midori: I do wish to see the day you'll get pushed by someone as far as I've pushed you.

Moll wrapped an arm around Midori's neck, bringing their heads close together as he wrote a giant smile.

Moll: C'mon, man. I doubt you're gonna be easy to replace. But I'll be sure to show them the man that you keep falling second place to!

…

Midori watched as Moll heaved, the same faint smile from all those years ago on his face.

Midori's thoughts: Years of preventing yourself from reaching the top has finally given you an opponent to push you. So let's see how you overcome it, Moll Sonata!

Moll gritted his teeth, moving his arms fluently as Masked kept shifting his blade to block each oncoming attack. His eyes glowed red, catching each of Moll's attacks in his gaze.

Masked's thoughts: I see, my damage is finally catching up to him. This is the fastest he can go… Perfect.

Tensing up the muscles in his arms just a bit, Masked swung his broadsword up with great force, pushing Moll away and opening the distance between him. Moll heaved, staring down his opponent as he planned on what to do next. Masked smiled under his mask as he charged at Moll, Moll surprised by the smaller wait time between bursts. Masked swung horizontally, Moll jumping back and avoiding the blow. He picked up his sword up and aimed to strike the opening, but Masked abruptly swung his sword back with greater force than before, Moll using his blade to block the strike and getting sent flying with the attack. Moll rolled on the ground, feeling his muscles ache as he clutched tightly onto his blade.

Moll's thoughts: Is he picking up on the pain in my arms? And he's timing those bursts, maybe even making the gaps in their usage smaller. This new generation really knows how to make new gimmicks and make them dangerous…

Zachary: Masked has successfully warded off Moll with another powerful blow. But it's still up in the air on who could win here!

Moll placed both hands tightly onto the hilt of his blade, staring down Masked before making a mad dash to his opponent. Masked's eyes shined a brilliant red as he charged forward, both of their blades clashing. Their swords clashed again and again, Moll's focus getting deeper each time their swords connected. Suddenly, drops of blood flew into the air before crashing onto the ground below. Masked stumbled back, a new visible cut on his arm. It was shallow, but it didn't change the newfound shock on Masked's face.

In a room within the stadium, Magnus stared at the screen with wide eyes. Standing on both sides of him, Shun and Daymond turned their attention to his laptop screen.

Magnus: I should've known… Moll has foresight too!

Shun: He has a huge history with the Eclipse. I'd be surprised if he didn't.

Daymond: He was being pushed against the wall here. It's obvious that right now, Masked has the power advantage. The weight and size of his blade is nothing to scoff at. So Moll needs to find a new way to deal with him. And there's no better option than reading ahead of your opponent.

Magnus: But I'm sure that Masked's eyes were able to analyze things faster than a regular person's, so why aren't they that effective against Moll?

Daymond: It's obvious, while his broadsword plays into his favor, it also plays against him. He held a strong advantage against Moll in terms of hand-to-hand, with most of the damage from that scuffle hardly affecting him. But when it comes to their sword fights, Moll has the advantage with his lighter weapon. Being able to read your opponent and attack faster than them can be all you need to win a match.

Shun: I'll need to keep that in mind…

Magnus: I really can't tell who'll win this… They seem so evenly matched!

Daymond: We'll need to wait and see. The one with the stronger drive will be the one to pull through.

Moll let out a heavy sigh, a wide smile on his face as he held his sword overhead. Masked gripped onto his hilt tightly, staring down Moll.

Moll: Surprised what some old bones can do, eh? I may not be young anymore, but don't count me out just yet!

Masked: I knew a fight against you was never going to be easy. But let me show you what the future has in store.

Masked's eyes darkened before shining a brighter red than they had before. His legs tensed up before shooting off the ground, swinging up from the ground with his full strength behind his blade. Moll knew what was coming, but the speed Masked moved at was too fast. Shifting his upper body back, he avoided the full attack, but blood shot up anyway. A large gash formed across Moll's chest as Masked tensed up his arms and swung back down. Moll kicked off the ground, avoiding the second strike as it slammed into the ground. Dust kicked up, forming a wall between Moll and Masked. The red glare behind the dust disappeared, Moll putting a hand over his chest as he stared into the dust cloud.

Moll's thoughts: That was strong… I'm going to lose a lot of blood with this thing on my chest. I need to end this match soon, but I can't see him.

As Moll tried to think of his next plan, Masked appeared out of the dust to Moll's left. His broadsword lifted high with the point behind his back. He swung it down with great force, everything aimed at Moll's neck. Moll didn't waste a single moment, moving his own blade in the direction of the strike before getting picked up from his feet and sent flying back. Masked landed on his feet, watching Moll slam the point of his sword into the ground and slowing his crash. Moll's forehead was full of a layer of sweat, a nervous smile forming on his face.

Moll's thoughts: This is kind of pathetic, isn't it, Midori? I'm struggling despite being a potential Candidate in the past. Yeah, it's pathetic… But I chose this life for me to show future generations that we can still fight. You're retired, so I'm all that's left…

Moll placed both hands onto the hilt of his blade, his eyes wide as he stretched out his arms, his sword in front of him.

Moll's thoughts: I'm all that's left of our prime era. I am what remains of the Golden Era of the Eclipse.

Images of Moll when he was younger flash into his mind. It ends with his bruised smile next to the injured Midori. He smiled as he stared down the masked gladiator in front of him.

Moll: Yeah, that's enough self loathing. I ain't winning this match with pity. He tried to kill me, but that isn't my style.

Midori smiled wide, seeing a flame burn in Moll's eyes. The audience watched as Moll took a powerful stance, looking like a knight that would come to save the day.

Moll: I'm ready, Masked Man. Let's do this!

Moll shot off the ground, Masked doing the same. The sparks flew as their swords flashed, Moll brought his face closer to the mask. He stared into the dark eye slits, a smile on his face.

Moll: Show me what your future is, Masked.

Masked: With pleasure.

Masked started to overpower Moll, blood spurting from his hand's wound weakening as he tensed every muscle in his arm. Moll squinted his eyes before pushing down on Masked's blade, having it slam the ground between them as he hit Masked with an elbow. Masked kicked Moll away, taking that moment to lift his blade once more and charge at Moll. Moll changed the grip of his sword to solely be his right hand, thrusting it forward at Masked as if it was a fencing sword. Masked's eyes glew red as he dodged each thrust whilst taking several steps back. Joseph tapped his foot, placing his guitar down as he stared at the match.

Joseph: You let him get into his element, Masked. This is going to cost you the match!

Violet: He's stronger, right? He can pull through.

Tristan: But it's true. Moll is able to improve as the fight goes on. Masked basically laid out his entire hand on the table before Moll did, so now Moll has all the info he needs to win.

Violet: I can't help but have faith in Masked! He can do it!

Joseph's thoughts: I want to have faith too. So Masked, kill him if you need to!

Masked dodged each thrust, thinking to himself about his next attack. To him, each following attack would leave too much of an opening for Moll to counterattack. So he did the only thing he could. He threw his sword at Moll, taking everyone by surprise as Moll was forced to jump back. Masked charged forward before punching Moll across the face, forcing the old man to back away further. Masked jumped back, grabbing his sword and tensing every part of his body, preparing for Valhalla. Moll gripped his own sword, prepared for the next attack. Masked twisted his upper body, lunging at Moll as he swung the sword with all his strength. Moll's eyes opened wide, thoughts filling his mind. In that moment, Moll was cut in half, his body falling lifelessly onto the floor. His eyes staring at his masked opponent…

Moll came back to reality, realizing the reality of trying to take this next attack. His mind guaranteed him that the next swing would be the strongest Masked as thrown the entire match. Using all the strength he could muster in his legs, Moll jumped back as Masked swung with all his might. The air was tense, everything felt still. Everyone remained quiet, the only sound being the one of metal cutting cleanly through flesh and bone. Blood shot into the air. Zachary and Zenzo looked at the scene in front of them with their jaws agape. Moll's eyes were wide, a look of shock enveloping his face. Midori, Hamadeen, and Kuro all stared at the scene wide eyed. It was a scene that was entirely undeniable. In the moment that Moll jumped back to avoid the attack, he was just too slow to avoid the attack entirely. Masked swung his sword faster and stronger than ever before. With one clean motion, Masked cut Moll's leg from halfway down the shin. Moll watched as his foot fell to the ground, Masked's blade cutting through the air until it slammed into the ground. Everyone was left in silence as they watched the eldest fighter in the tournament lose his left foot. Not a single scream came to his throat. Moll was left in shock, realization hitting him as he saw blood come from the stump of his leg and his severed foot.

Zachary: W-What?!

Zenzo: Masked, using all his strength, has cut Moll's foot clean off!

Zachary: Ladies and gentlemen, Masked has let Valhalla roar once more! And it has certainly left hefty damage!

Moll sat on the ground, moving his attention up from his severed foot up to Masked, whose eyes were now dark. Emotions overwhelmed him, Moll was left speechless. His brain eventually came to a halt, his thoughts clearing. All Moll could do was smile as he looked at his opponent. It was not a smile of defeat or misery, but a smile of passion. A smile that was filled with all of Moll's hope.