Chapter 157 - Near Collapse

The members of the Arachna all sat in Bodin's room, staring at their leader who had crossed his arms and closed his eyes. Yussuf helped Shun sit up and turned him towards the boss.

Hiroto: Well, Daymond, what's your plan now? You remain as the only chip your team can play.

Sudu: Can't you word that any nicer? I would imagine that's a stressful thing to just bring up out of the blue.

Hiroto: Nah, he doesn't need any sugar coating. He knows the reality of the situation. Two of our clan members lost, and so did the rest of his men.

Nupan: Actually, some of us didn't lose by being outclassed.

Everyone turned to the door, seeing Nupan and Arthur walk in. Dianshi pushed up his glasses as he walked past them.

Dianshi: I can confirm there were no intruders from their searching. During the end of this round, nothing out of the ordinary has occurred. I'll have security do another sweep before the day is over.

Daymond opened his eyes, a smirk appearing on his face. He stands up, everyone turning their attention to him.

Daymond: I'll need two of you. Simon, Shun, once both of you are capable of moving, please meet me at your earliest convenience. I would like to get as much training in as possible before the next match.

Arthur: Do you really need that much training? That Thong guy looked like chopped up steak by the end of his fight. Shun cut him down the middle of the face by the end of it.

Daymond: There are many fighters in this tournament that have taken serious damage and continue to fight forward. Gonzalez was stabbed through the abdomen and dominated his fight in the second round. Injured fighters are not ones to take lightly.

Hiroto: Are you implying you're going forward into the next round with your injuries? I saw the hits you've taken and your body is near collapse.

Daymond stood up, walking to the door before turning his head to the side, his left eye staring intensely at the Ryuji master.

Daymond: My injuries do not frighten me one bit. I fought a man that, even while having his chest caved in, threw a punch with everything he had.

Daymond raised his left arm, the sleeve of his coat sliding down slightly to reveal the scars that riddled the arm.

Daymond: That was the same man that did this to my arm after I had it enhanced. I know more than anyone that once you push someone to the edge, their true capabilities are drawn out. So I will prove to the world why I am the one to lead the Eclipse.

Everyone stared in awe as he walked out of the room, Dianshi nodding to Daymond's words. Simon looked back at the bed that had the unconscious Magnus. His face had grown a smile, almost as to show it was moved by Daymond's words. Simon shook his head before following Daymond out the door. Shun reached around his bed, his vision slowly returning, but mostly still a blur. He grabbed his scythe, noticing how broken the lower half was.

Shun's thoughts: I need to wait for my weapon to be repaired… It's going to be tough to train with Daymond.

He felt a tap on his shoulder, looking over to see Yussuf with a wide smile on his face.

Yussuf: I know I'm not good enough to help Daymond out properly, but since you are, you should use this.

Yussuf handed Shun a scythe. It was nothing like his original weapon, just a regular scythe that seemed to be in pristine condition. Shun let out a chuckle as he grabbed the scythe from Yussuf's hands.

Shun: It's a matter of you not being good enough YET. You can get much better, trust me.

Yussuf nodded as he helped Shun stand up and walk towards the door. Hiroto and Sudu glanced at one another as they saw the members of the Arachna begin to move.

Sudu: Looks like they're better suited for this situation than you thought.

Hiroto: I mean, it wasn't that hard to assume. After the researcher's defeat, they kept their spirits high and all in Daymond. He is their star, and it looks like they have complete faith in him. I am interested in what that thing he did at the end of his match entails.

Sudu: Yeah, what was that?

Bodin: Why does any of that matter?! Everyone I wanted to work on just left! Why must all the good ones leave?!

Arthur: Should we go back on our search or….?

Nupan: I just want to go eat something. The day's over, no point in just working the entire time.

Arthur: I'm down for that.

Yussuf: Let me tag along too!

Arthur: Sure, why not?

Dianshi: I'll join you in the dining hall after I inform security of the next sweep. For now, let's enjoy the rest of the day.

…

Ryan stared at the three men in front of him. His eyes darted to the Masked Man, whose clothing was cut up worse than his match against Moll with blood seeping from the wounds.

Ryan: What's the meaning of this? What's going on?!

Masked: Ryan, you need to help me! I have no idea what's gotten into Jason, but he's trying to kill me!

Jason: Ryan, I'm going to be entirely honest with you, you shouldn't trust a single thing he says.

Masked: See! He's trying to convince you against me as well! Look, he's even invited his friend to help attack me.

Ryan: Jason… Just tell me what's going on? Who is that person next to you and why are you attacking Masked?

Nicholas: I have no patience for this.

Nicholas dashed forward, swinging his sword at Masked's abdomen. Masked jumped back, his sword scraping across the ground. Ryan stepped forward then hesitated. Jason shook his head before holding onto his sword tightly with both hands.

Jason: I don't have time to waste! Ryan! Masked isn't who you think he is! He's affiliated with a group that wishes to cause the worst and is associated with the worst! He's using you!

Nicholas continued to swing his sword at Masked, who grabbed onto his sword with both hands. He lifted his sword from the ground and swung at Nicholas. He jumped back as Masked's sword dug into the ceiling. Debris began to fall as Nicholas regrouped with Jason. Ryan glanced between the two men and Masked. Masked turned to Ryan, with his eyes a burning red.

Masked: You're my friend, right?! I need you to help me or they'll kill me! I need to kill them first before they can kill me!

Ryan: What…

Jason and Nicholas charged forward, dashing at Masked from both sides. Masked's muscles bulged under his robes as he used Compression to build up as much energy as he could. He swung his sword down with great strength, sending a shockwave through the hallway they stood in. The swing collapsed the ground in front of Masked, leading into the ceiling of the lower floor. Jason shook his head as he watched Masked.

Jason: We need to stop him before he escapes.

As Masked walked forward to jump into the hole, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked back to see Ryan looking at him with concern in his eyes. His grip was firm and strong, one that Masked could not shake off easily. He gritted his teeth under his mask as he tried to keep his composure.

Masked: Ryan, what are you doing? I need to get out of here before these two seriously hurt me.

Ryan: Something's wrong, Masked. First you ignored me the entire first day of the tournament, but now you're pleading for me to help you. What is happening, why can't you or Jason properly tell me?

Jason: Because he's with an awful group of people, I'm telling you! He's a threat to the safety of people here, can't you tell with that last attack he just pulled?

Masked's eyes shone brightly, forcing Ryan to release his grip and protect his eyes. Masked tensed all the muscles in his right hand as he swung at Ryan, who was immediately pushed back by Jason tackling him to the ground. The sword embedded itself into the wall, with Masked tugging at it as Jason jumped off Ryan.

Jason: I'm lucky you weren't trying to firmly plant yourself to the ground. Otherwise, we'd both be cut in half right now. I'm telling you, Masked is not who you think he is. He isn't a friend that just grew distant, he's been given the permission to kill to survive. So don't hesitate to fight him.

Jason was kicked away from Ryan as Masked left his sword behind. His entire body heaved as he raised his fists. Nicholas charged at him from behind, with Masked turning his head to face him. He dodged the incoming slash and punched Nicholas away. Ryan pushed himself up as he saw Masked fend off both Jason and Nicholas. His eyes drifted to the sword embedded in the wall, the damage done to the hallway they were in. Masked did not concern himself with the life of the two people he was fighting. Their deaths would have benefited him. Ryan closed his eyes as Jason and Nicholas jumped back.

Nicholas: We need to finish him off, he's too far gone.

Jason: I hate to agree, but it looks like he's going to fight until his final breath, so let's finish this.

Jason and Nicholas widened their stances as they prepared to take down Masked. Masked pushed his body to the limit as he used Compression on each square inch of his body. His body was nearing collapse, but he did not concern himself with the sacrifice of his body. He only wished to escape, and would fight until the bitter end. His eyes shone brighter than ever before as he prepared himself to punch straight through both Jason and Nicholas. Before either party could get the opportunity to strike, a loud clap was heard in the room. Jason and Nicholas' shoulders dropped as they saw the sight in front of them. Masked's body fell to the ground like meat taken off a hook. Ryan's hands were where Masked's head was moments ago. Blood was splattered all over the giant's body, his face in visible pain. He turned away immediately, his eyes shut tight.

Ryan: I'll go turn myself in.

Jason: I'd… really not recommend that. Nicholas and I– oh yeah, this is Nicholas by the way. But yeah, Nicholas and I will take care of the body, just go clean yourself up. I'll talk to you about this later, but thank you, Ryan.

Ryan let his hands drop to his sides and walked away from Jason and Nicholas immediately. He didn't look at his hands for a single moment. Jason and Nicholas looked at one another as they got on both sides of Masked's body.

Jason: Not much we can do for the damage and the blood, but we'll just take the body and get rid of it. We can't be leaving evidence like this behind. Last thing we want is to alert any other possible Serpents that might be nearby.

Guard: I think I heard the noise from over here! Let's check it out!

Jason and Nicholas heard voices come from the hole in the ground, forcing them to quickly grab the body and run away from the scene of the crime. They ran as quickly as they could before eventually finding a way downstairs and away from anyone. Ryan entered the nearest bathroom as he immediately ran his hands through the water. His body shook as he washed the remains of his old friend's head off of his hands. Tears ran down his face and into his beard as he looked at himself in the mirror. An image flashed through his mind as he looked at himself, an image of himself and Masked enjoying a drink together, one where he had slightly moved his mask to enjoy the drink. He let his tears flow as the blood ran down the drain.

Ryan: Masked… I'm sorry… But I can't let your violent tendencies hurt anyone else anymore…

The loss of the Masked Man weighed heavily on the giant's heart, the only sounds that could be heard were of the distant guards and the running water.