Chapter 142 - Gear of Change vs The Endless Void

Ryan stood at the door, watching Cero prepare himself for his match. Cero tore the roll of tape from his arm, his wrappings fully in place. Bruna walked up to Cero, her entire body trembling as she placed a cup of tea next to him.

Bruna: I-I-I made s-sure it was warm this t-time.

Cero looked down at the cup before picking it up and taking a sip. He let out a heavy sigh, meeting Bruna with a casual stare.

Cero: There's no reason to be afraid. This is a moment where I will reveal that I have all I need to make it to the finals.

Mason: That's the boss for ya, ready whenever he wants to fight.

Mason, Vector, Kammy, and Tico walked into the room. Ryan followed them in as the door swung closed. They all met Cero with differing looks, yet not a single one was a negative emotion directed towards him.

Tico: Cero… make sure you win this whole thing, alright?

Kammy: Is that even a question? He's going to fly through these matches! Sure he has to fight Daniel, but is that match even really a debate?

Vector: That is true… We saw what Ryan and Cero could do in their match. These next few should be over in the first strike.

Ryan: Cero has the strength and skill, that is without question. But does he have the willpower to go forward?

They all turned their attention to Cero, each waiting for his next response. Cero stood in silence before a small smile appeared on his face.

Cero: There is nothing to fear. As long as my desire remains true, I refuse to lose to anyone. I will not stop until I destroy the Arachna with my own two hands.

Cero looked down, clenching his fists tightly. The cup shattered and fell to the floor. Ryan and Mason grew prideful smiles. Bruna scrambled as she bent down to clean up the mess on the floor. Tico's mind was distant before he felt a slap on his back. Kammy leaned forward with a wide smile on his face.

Kammy: You've been looking down ever since Shun lost. Supporting the other side, are you?

Tico: It's not that… Shun is my rival, and since he beat me, I wanted to make sure I would be the next loss he took. Then a nobody appears and takes him down while he's going at his fastest… It's bullshit!

Kammy: That's something you just need to expect in these matches. Both Thong and Ser Lorisian are people with very little background to them. Yet both of them beat highly anticipated fighters in this round. Anything can happen at this rate.

Cero: There's another thing we must take into consideration. As of this moment, the Collective is the only group with each of its members still in place. However…

Ryan: They're both up against top ten fighters. Both of which are anticipated to win this entire tournament.

Vector: Jason Bellthorne…

Mason: And Gonzalez Muertojos.

Bruna: S-So we're not out of the woods just yet…

Cero: It doesn't matter who is left and who is the most anticipated to win. I will crush each of them.

Ryan: As you should. You're the one that beat me, after all.

Ryan held out his fist with a smile on his face. Cero nodded before meeting it with a fistbump.

…

The sound of the air rushing was all that could be heard from the room. Gonzalez threw quick single strikes, Remy dodging each by a single hair. Both fighters came to a stop, Remy letting out a breath of exhaustion. Gonzalez's body tensed up before throwing a strike forward. Remy's eyes shot open as the bottom of his staff hit the ground, pushing him away from the strike. Gonzalez smiled.

Gonzalez: You're improving at a really quick rate. Less than a month ago, you wouldn't even dream of dodging those.

Remy: H-Hey! I could've dodged them!

Gonzalez: If you got lucky. If you want to keep relying on luck, maybe Cero will be nice enough to quit out of embarrassment.

Remy: Why do you have to be so harsh about it…

Gonzalez: Because this is the reality of your match. Cero is an opponent that will mean all business. If you try to go in lighthearted as you did against Nupan, you'll be squashed in an instant. He isn't ranked number two for no reason, you know.

Remy: I get that! That's why I made sure to work my ass off the moment I left that last match…

Gonzalez: And you've improved. Your mobility has increased and if you play your cards right, this might be your ticket to victory.

Remy: Now you're making me sound like a one-trick pony!

Gonzalez: You might be. You need to prove that you're not. You understand that, right? You need to know when to fight dirty, fight with everything you have.

Remy: Like Magnus and Thong the last two matches…

Gonzalez: Exactly. Both of those guys fought opponents out of their league. However, they were able to catch up, even if only momentarily. Magnus was able to cut and scare Daniel and Thong was able to beat Shun. So use everything you know and have, got it?

Remy looked up at the top of his staff, seeing the flag of the Virtus Imperium hanging. He wore a smile, turning to Gonzalez.

Remy: One more time. Strike me with several strikes quickly.

Gonzalez nodded before widening his stance. He lunged forward, throwing several quick jabs. His ears picked up on the sound of the staff touching the ground, causing him to sidestep and strike the side of the pole. He smiled before coming to a stop.

Gonzalez: You got really good at that.

Remy stood at the very top of his staff, balancing with a nervous expression.

Remy: I forget how quickly you can strike at times…

Remy jumped down, quickly catching the staff as it began to tip over. Gonzalez patted him on the shoulder before heading towards the door.

Gonzalez: You better not go out there without a plan. If you want to make it out in one piece, anyway.

Remy: You make it sound like I might die…

Gonzalez: If he wants you to be, prevent it.

Gonzalez left the room, leaving Remy in silence. He looked at his staff before closing his eyes.

Remy: Theodore, Theresa, Daniel, Angel, Abraham, Gonzalez, Veronica… Carrie. Please, fight by my side.

Remy opened his eyes, a cold sweat bead forming on his forehead. He walked out the door, newfound confidence in his step.

…

Zachary walked around the ring in a circle, waving his arm out to the audience. The excitement of the audience continued to build as he brought the mic up to his mouth with his right hand.

Zachary: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! AFTER SUCH A FIERCE BATTLE BETWEEN ASSASSIN AND MONSTER BOY, WE'RE HERE TO BRING THE SECOND MATCH OF BLOCK C! AND THE TWO HERE COULDN'T BE A MORE FRIGHTENING MATCHUP FOR THOSE WATCHING! THE FIRST ONE TO REACH THE STAGE WAS THE ONE THAT TRULY SHOCKED SOME VIEWERS! HIS FIRST MATCH WAS SAID TO BE RIGGED! DESPITE THAT, HIS TALENT WITH THE BO STAFF CAN NOT BE IGNORED! WILL HE SHOCK US ONCE AGAIN TODAY? HE'S COMING OUT TO SHOW US! HERE COMES "THE GEAR OF CHANGE" REMY JOOOOOOONESSSSS!!!

The lights focusing on the entrance behind Zachary, a figure appearing. The first to leave the entrance was the flag of the Virtus Imperium, swinging proudly in the ring. Remy walked into the ring, a look of determination on his face. Remy heard chants of his name amongst the audience, which made his heart race. He couldn't hide the smile those sounds brought to him. He stopped before Zachary, who looked back to greet him.

Zachary: You ready, kid?

Remy: A-As ready as someone can be…

The members of the Virtus Imperium as well as Hugo and Li watched the monitor closely.

Theresa: He seems extremely nervous out there.

Li: That's to be expected, he's up against a scary opponent…

Carrie: Yeah, I hope he gets what's coming…

Carrie pouted.

Theodore: Carrie Miller…

Angel and Mike turned to her, noticing that she didn't overreact like every other time. She looked visibly upset, which Theodore quickly caught onto.

Hugo: Here he comes!

Zachary: AND THE OPPONENT OF THIS FIGHTER IS NONE OTHER THAN THE HIGHEST RATED FIGHTER, THE ONE PEOPLE BELIEVE IS MOST LIKELY TO WALK AWAY THE WINNER OF THIS TOURNAMENT! HIS GRUELING MATCH WITH RYAN HAD US RECONSTRUCT THE RING, SO HE IS CERTAINLY A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH! HIS STRENGTH IS NOTHING SHORT OF GODLIKE, SO HOW WILL HE USE IT THIS TIME? LET'S WATCH HIM IN ACTION! HERE COMES "THE ENDLESS VOID" CERO RAY LAMOOOOOOTTAAAAAAAA!!!

A large frame appeared in the opposing entrance. Remy gulped as a single thought entered his mind.

Remy's thoughts: I was hoping for the slightest chance he might have ditched…

Cero walked into the spotlight, the audience exploding in a roar of cheers. His afro bounced as he walked towards Zachary and Remy, his expression as hardened as it could be. Remy could feel Cero's gaze on him, sending a shiver down his spine. Cero towered over Zachary and Remy.

Zachary: Would you look at this, folks! A twenty-one-centimeter height difference! How will this match play out?!

Zachary walked away from the fighters, who looked at each other. Remy gulped as he forced a smile on his face.

Remy: L-L-Let's have a g-g-g-good match, sir…

Cero's thoughts: Doesn't this seem familiar…

Remy's body shook in fear with Cero noticing it immediately. Remy slammed his staff into the ground before slapping himself with his right hand. He shook his head before looking back up at Cero.

Cero: This is your last chance to step down. If you wish to avoid life-threatening injuries, I'd recommend forfeiting.

Remy: S-Sorry… but no can do. I've come too far for that.

Cero: Is that so? Then let's see what your resolve is like.