AND IT RAGES ON VII (Ch. 131)

The existence of the incoming unknown force is a reality those on the battlegrounds are yet to realise, more pressing, to Duke and Raven especially is the arrival of the MERCHANT'S new combatant. Bluring a few meters infront of the duo his mere presence has the two at a loss,

{He's infinitely close} Silver states,

(To what?),

{ZONE} comes the reply.

Raven who's basically down for the count manages to turn his torso just as Warden blurs to Nathan's side,

(It seems even my best overestimation wasn't up to standard) Raven mules watching the masked man stare at them quietly, (that bastard should be here by now) he groan,

{Indeed, the little rar must be assured of his victory, for good reason too} Silver concludes with his attention refocused on the masked combatant,

(Not him) Raven replies,

{Who?} Silver questions,

(John Wuu) he replies.

Seated on the roof of the DEALERS apartment complex a few hundred meters away, his bare feet dangles in the air as he munches leisurely on a bucket of popcorn, a chuckle bursting from his throat at varying intervals, noticing the masked combatants arrival he smiles in his usual manaical fashion,

(Well this should be interesting) he muses recalling the conversation he'd held with Rachel Voss.

SEVERAL WEEKS PRIOR 

"Watch him" Rachel commands

"You want me to protect your son?" Jhon questions,

"Protect?" She chuckles, "I've already made that mistake once, 'ANALYSE'" she orders,

"And if he's to die?" Jhon grins,

"He's a Voss" she replies mirroring his manaical grin. 

PRESENT TIME 

Nathan takes point, his beastly instinct urging him to hold nothing back, his ATTUNED arts enacted into being, Warden and Duke do the same, empowering their 'Force' arts while taking stance. As if to signify his approval, the masked man empowers his ATTUNED arts, his unified Striker and Defence : 'Contorted Waves', a 'Force' art allows the user to use 'Force' to contort the space around it to limited degrees in order to achieve various effects, his Enforcer : 'Re-route', a 'Force' art that allows it's user maneuver both theirs  and adversaries 'Force' in a given route for the their benefit.

(Wait, there's only person...), Duke freezes, the masked man blurs his kick transitioning from a typical ankle strike aimed to connect with Dukes ribs,

"Seb?" He calls, watching as the masked man's kick freezes momentarily, luckily Nathan slashes his clawed hand meeting the continued strike, 

"SEBASTIAN!" Duke shouts, this time the masked man shows no sign, bluring towards Nathan as Warden blurs to his left, his fist aimed at his intended path. The masked man digs his forward left, leaning his torso forward as he lifts his trailing right, using the kinetic energy to his spin oh his left, his heel connects with Warden's jaw as the latters blow flies over his opponents head. Warden is blown away just as Duke blurs past him, his fist crashing towards his opponent,

(I HAVE TO GET THE MASK OFF!) Duke ponders just as the masked man envelopes himself with his imprinted 'Force' his movements speeding up far beyond what Duke can see, the only thing preventing Duke from having his head blown clean off is Nathan who's frontkick aimed behind his opponents knee has the attack fall short, Nathan centers his ATTUNED arts on his Striker congealing 'Force' at his fingertips, his hands swinging in an x motion, the masked man centers his Defence, the 'severing' characteristic of Nathan's Striker technique taking little effect against his frame, a one thousand and forty spin kick empowered blows Nathan back, crashing against concrete, Nathan is up in a flash, zooming towards his target, the combination of his Enforcer and his Defence allowing him shrug of incomprehensible levels of physical punishment. Warden follows suit, finally, his armour the only reason why his now broken jaw isn't absolutely shattered. Deciding that risking burning out quicker to accomplish the goal is the most logical decision Warden empowers still his ATTUNED arts, his skin crystallising, visible steam rolling off his entire body as gis muscles begin tense then harden, releasing momentarily for explosives upon every movement, like living crystal, not jagged, he'd mastered the art, complete. Warden blurs just a step behind Nathan, with Duke following closely behind them, the masked man takes no stance, even as Nathan's further empowered furious swipe is the one thousandth of a second away from connecting.

"WE HAVE TO TAKE HIS MASK OFF!" Duke shouts,2

The masked combatant responds by advancing, bluring to the left as the slash goes wide while spinning in place as a vicious round house kick cracks Nathan's ribs blowing him back, his move to press is interrupted as he forms a guard taking Warden's blow aimed to his plexus while raising his knee to meet Dukes blow aimed for his liver, catching the blow his leg extends forward catching the DEALER's head by the jaw and most certainly breaking it as he's blown twenty feet away, this give Warden time to catch him by his jaw rigging the oni mask off with intent to shatter his opponents jaw, the result?, Unsuccessful, his advancement not on par, but before all is the iconic scar running down Sebastian Corinth's blinded eye.

"SEB!" Duke shouts through the pain, "FUCKING REMEMBER!!" He screams.

Sebastian clutches his head, the pain that once been present returning, flashes of images he couldn't quite understand, sequence of events, bits and pieces of conversations, dropping to his knees he gives a scream of agony,

(W...who am i?...wh... what are these?, Images...scenes...), His mind raged as 'Force' congealed around his being, a Domain, trying desperately to come to being, his body, infinitely close to achieving the true first step in the accession of life, the ZONE. 

Dexter who'd been observing from afar frowns, 

(We still don't have a natural drug strong enough to influence those at ZONE, his impending advancement is a nuisance), "Neutralise him" Dexter orders, 

"Understood", The Mercanery hall duo empower their 'Force' arts bluring to Sebastian's side,

{He must advance!} Silver shouts,

"WARDEN!" He shouts as the teen reacts, his ATTUNED arts dropped in favour of his Auxiliary, the rings form instantaneously, his hands dancing like flowing water as if skeews the flow of 'Force', disrupting the duo's movements, in flash Nathan's form is before the balding middle aged man, his being empowered,

"This one's for last time" he declares clawing viciously across the opponents eyes,

"AAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!" follows the man's agonizing shriek, his partner makes no move to protect him, intent on somehow executing the order,

(We have no place left in Mercanery hall, if we return, we're dead, no, if he does accept and protect us, we're dead) he mules charging straight for Sebastian with a full syringe in hand.

Duke blurs to the opponents intended path, both their fists connecting against each other, duke digs his heel and bucks his knee, releasing a wave of  his Striker techniques : 'In 'Force' drawing the opponent in as he grabs him by the waste and with his Enforcer technique empowered crashes him back in a supplex.

Sebastian leans back on his knees, his arms spread appart, for the fraction of a second his Domain is enacted, then retracts within his being, steam filters out of his gapping mouth, and as the steaming fog clears his eyes flutter open, pitch black, the irises winter white, 

"I remember".