Chapter 156 - Fugitive

Zachary stood at the center of the arena as women dressed in different outfits walked around him. He cleared his throat as he shot his left fist into the air.

Zachary: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! AFTER THAT ONE-SIDED MATCH, THE SECOND ROUND OF THE ECLIPSE GRAND TOURNAMENT COMES TO A CLOSE! THE EIGHT FIGHTERS TO MOVE FORWARD ARE MOLL SONATA, SER LORISIAN, DAYMOND THERAPHOSA, THONG TRAN, DANIEL ONEIROI, CERO RAY LAMOTTA, JASON BELLTHORNE, AND GONZALEZ MUERTOJOS! THESE EIGHT WILL REST FOR THE REST OF THE DAY AND THE FOLLOWING DAY BEFORE FINALLY MOVING TO THE THIRD TO LAST DAY OF THE TOURNAMENT! THE QUARTER-FINALS WILL BE HELD ON THEIR OWN DAY WITH THE SEMIFINALS AND FINALS BEING THE FINAL DAY OF THE TOURNAMENT! WITH THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, PLEASE ENJOY THE REST OF YOUR STAY AT THE ECLIPSE RESORT! 

The crowd burst into a roar of cheers as Zachary left the ring, the women following closely behind. Jason and Ser Lorisian watched the final showing from the top of the audience's stands.

Lorisian: What a wond'rful setteth of matches! The present day hast given me m're vigor!

Jason: You can say that again. Looks like I'll be able to fight Gonzalez.

Lorisian: Thee two art 'round the same age, correct squire?

Jason: Around there, yeah. It won't be an easy match. Hardly looked affected by each hit he took, he'll be a tough cookie. But I have something a bit more important to attend to.

Lorisian: Alloweth me to joineth thee!

Jason: I can't really allow that. This is something a bit too important. I'll talk to you later.

Jason escaped into the hallway, swiftly moving through the now-forming crowd leaving the stands. He reaches a corner that passes an empty hall, with a single man wearing a red scarf standing there. He glances over to Jason, giving him a single nod.

Jason: It's go time.

…

Joseph sat up abruptly in an infirmary bed. He panted as his face was drenched in sweat. He looked around the room, noticing only a single nurse in the infirmary. She crossed her legs as she tapped her pen on her chin. She watched as Joseph calmed down, placing her pen down.

Joseph: Is this the infirmary? Why wasn't I brought into the same one with my groupmates?

Joseph's eyes finally focused on the lady in front of him, her appearance seeming familiar to him. She stood up, pulling a chair up to sit next to Joseph's bed.

Joseph: Wait… Doctor Q?

Q: I'm glad you recognize me, Joseph. I was getting worried that those final strikes knocked the memory right out of you. 

Joseph: What the hell are you doing here?! You'll be found out in no time!

Q: Possibly. It turns out that three of my associates are in this building. I've been needing to go under an alias to prevent them from recognizing me in the records. Doctors A and B would have definitely checked those out. But that's beside the point. I've already reported to Mother about both yours and that masked fellow's losses. 

Joseph: You couldn't have kept it quiet?

Q: There's no purpose in doing so. She would figure that out eventually as others are still in these walls. Oh, and before you ask, the other guy was here too, but he woke up and walked out with that huge sword. 

Joseph: He walked out?! What does he intend on doing?!

Q: Likely trying to go into hiding. No one knows his identity, so he can easily blend into the crowd if he wishes. I can't even tell if that's the one I met initially or not.

Joseph: That bastard! He should know the consequences of this…

Joseph began to sweat bullets as the thought of the punishment he may receive overwhelmed his mind. Q pulled out a whistle and blew into it, regaining his attention.

Q: Focus, Joseph. If you head back to Mother and beg for forgiveness, she may not have one of the higher-ups kill you. The Masked Man, on the other hand, seems to be fighting for himself. He made it clear that he thinks he made enemies by heavily injuring the beloved Moll. He's out on his own, but looking at his readings…

Q pulled down the sleeve of her coat, revealing a watch with several numbers flying across the screen. She let out a sigh as she pulled out a cigarette. She lights it up, taking a small inhale before puffing out some smoke.

Q: He's clearly terrified of the consequences. He's replaceable, with Mother being able to contact other masked individuals to take his place. So he's running for survival. I don't think he'll go far, however.

Joseph: Yeah… He told me there was a good chance that some of the higher ranks are here… If they are, he won't survive to see tomorrow! 

Q: That's none of our concern. We'll be heading back to our headquarters and getting this situation resolved. I do want to see what the effects of those strikes caused to your psyche. You've had an interesting look on you this entire time.

Joseph: I still can't tell what happened to me… what will happen to me… That Gonzalez… He isn't human!

Q: Which is why he's a target. But enough complaining. I'll meet you by the location you met Masked and we'll leave at dusk.

Q flicked her cigarette away, landing it perfectly in the trashcan across from her and Joseph. Joseph lifted his hands, noticing that they had been shaking nonstop. He gritted his teeth as he shut his eyes, finally accepting the reality of the situation.

Joseph's thoughts: That… bastard…

…

Masked quickly ran through the halls, the tip of his sword scraping across the ground. Despite the weight of it, his speed hardly seemed hampered. His breathing was uneven under his mask, his eyes darting from side to side. He leaned back as a knife flew across in front of him. He turned to the side, Nicholas standing there.

Masked: Ni-

Jason: Yeah, he isn't your buddy.

Masked turned to look behind him, noticing Jason standing behind him. His arms were behind his head as he casually looked at Masked.

Jason: He's mine. And you isolated yourself perfectly for us.

Masked: What is the meaning of this, Bellthorne? I am finally recovering from my match and you're trying to target me?

Jason: Well, you're part of the Serpent, aren't you?

Masked's eyes widened as he heard those words. His eyes then darted to his left, ducking as Nicholas' sword swung overhead. Jason lowered his arms, placing his right hand on the hilt of his blade.

Jason: Seems you're quicker to find an opportunity than I last remembered.

Masked jumped back, avoiding Nicholas' downward strike. He heard the unsheathing of a sword, immediately pulling his blade from his back and intercepting Jason's strike. The sound of the metal clashing echoed through the empty hall. Masked grabbed the hilt with both hands, pushing Jason back. Nicholas charged forward as Masked's blade was in the air, aiming his sword directly at Masked's neck. He dodged, kicking Nicholas away as he brought his sword back down. Masked attempted to control his breathing as a throwing knife was thrown at him. He turned the hilt of his sword, blocking the weapon. Jason appeared behind Masked, his sword sideways as a cut formed on Masked's battered coat. He looked back, seeing both Nicholas and Jason staring him down.

Masked's thoughts: Dammit! These two were planning to take me down! How long have they been planning this? Hours? Days? Months? What the hell?! I just need to open the distance and escape!

Jason: Don't think so.

Jason dashes forward, swinging his sword down, Masked blocking with his in return. Nicholas circled around Masked, slashing down his back. Masked fell to one knee, the pain flashing through his body. Nicholas walked over to Jason, who both looked down at their weakened foe.

Jason: There's a lot I need to learn from you, so I won't kill you. So, let's start light. Where is Jack?

Masked's eyes darted to Jason, immediately recognizing the name.

Masked's thoughts: Jack?! Rank number two?! What the hell does he want with that freak of nature?!

Jason: I really recommend speaking soon, I may be patient, but Nicholas sure ain't. 

Masked dropped his head with Jason and Nicholas exchanging glances. They heard a pulsing noise, looking back down at the supposedly defeated Masked Man. His head shot up as he sprang to life. He held onto his sword with both hands, raising it into the air and slamming it into the ground. Jason and Nicholas avoided the attack, noticing cracks form all around the hall they were in. Masked's eyes glew a brilliant red as he jumped at Nicholas at full force.

Masked's thoughts: He was a traitor before me! I'll use Compression all I can to kill this traitor! Then Mother will have to forgive my mistakes!

Jason swung his arm out, a chain slipping from outside of his sleeve clung onto Masked's sword, as if magnetically. He grabbed onto the chain tightly, landing firmly on his feet and pulling back with all his might. The slight resistance gave Nicholas the opening he needed to duck below Masked's strike. Jason was pulled forward, unable to overcome Masked's strike, the huge sword cleaving cleanly through part of the wall. He turned around to face Jason, gripping his sword tightly. He lunged forward, aiming to cleave the Red Reaper's head clean off. Jason used Savestep, avoiding Masked's attack and opening the distance between all three combatants. Masked's breathing was out of control, his mind and eyes racing to see who he should attack next. Nicholas reverse gripped his sword, charging at Masked who sees him out of the corner of his eye. He sprung into action, swinging his sword to cut through Nicholas and his attack. Nicholas furrowed his eyebrows as he slid under Masked's attack, slashing at one of his legs. Masked could feel the burning sensation of blood escaping the wound, but he refused to stop. He spun around, swinging his sword downward. Jason ran forward, jumped off the top of the large sword, and spun in the air. 

Jason's thoughts: Bellthorne Style: 5th Form - Viscaria 

Jason used the built-up momentum of his spin to aim his kick at the back of Masked's head, slamming his heel at full force. Masked stumbled forward, his sword digging into the ground underneath. His eyes began to lose color as he stared at Nicholas, who stood before him.

Jason's thoughts: He's a lot tougher to deal with than I thought. He's really trying to get out of giving us answers. He must really be loyal to the Serpent.

Nicholas brought his sword into the air, his eyes lacking any empathy for his opponent in front of him. Jason ran forward, catching Nicholas' wrist before he could land the next blow.

Jason: Hey! We still need information out of him, so we can't go killing him just yet. We just need to have him burn off some steam and he'll be easy to deal with.

Masked's eyes shined brighter than before as he swung his sword wildly into the air. He stepped back, blood oozing from the cut to his leg. He held his sword tightly as both Jason and Nicholas entered defensive positions.

Nicholas: We should've just killed him. He's turning out to be too much of a threat that this rate.

Jason: Not until we can figure out what I need to know.

Ryan: What's going on here?

Everyone's attention shifted to the voice that boomed behind Masked. They all turned, seeing the strongman Ryan Magni standing there with a confused look on his face. Masked smiled under his mask, noticing an opportunity had arisen.