Davey

Hey guys. Terrence here. Been a long time.

I'm doing okay. I'm back with Ciel, Keran, and that Davey guy. I've been keeping up with Justin's end of things. I'm proud of him for making it to the semi finals, but I'm worried at the same time. He could be up against Faceless or Malkator next, neither of which would be an easy fight, and that other girl could be a threat as well if she decides to break out that flamethrower of hers.

Speaking of Malkator, apparently Davey's his cousin. Apparently the Ace of Swords and his lieutenant tried to capture him like they did with Julia so that he could join the final spectators, but he managed to fight them off.

He's been training me to use that broken sword I got from the Crimson Knight. He's pretty skilled with a sword, but he says he prefers to fight unarmed. He only carries the sword so that he can be on even footing if someone else pulls a weapon on him. I'm getting better with the sword. It's heavier than the knives I'm used to fighting with, but I stole this weapon fair and square, so I figure I should try and get the hang of it.

He's been training with Ciel and Keran as well. He doesn't bother with the sword against them. Last week, we all took him on three on one. He won. Effortlessly. Know wonder the Ace of Swords had trouble with him.

And, of course, speaking of the Ace of Swords, our training with Davey has been put on hold indefinitely, because he's sort of... not here anymore...

We were training with him the other day, when he ordered us to stop out of the blue, a panicked expression crossing his face. I then collapsed to my knees, as I was taken by an overwhelming feeling of sadness. Ciel and Keran were hit with it too, but Davey just calmly wiped a tear from his eye, and scowled.

"They're here," He said through gritted teeth.

Suddenly, a woman appeared before him, and slashed down at him with clawed fingertips. He blocked them with his sword, as she grinned slyly at him.

"Kallaway," she said.

"Empress," he responded.

The woman, in addition to having claws, also had a long, furry tail, and a pair of cat ears. Her hair was long, and colored gold with black highlights.

Davey swung his sword, pushing her away from him.

"So where's the old man?" Davey demanded.

"Oh, he's around," the Empress said playfully. "But he agreed to let me have some fun with you first."

She charged at Davey again, swiping with her claws, but he dodged her and hit her in the chest with a strong kick, pushing her back a few feet. As he did, Ciel seemed to shake off whatever that sad feeling was and charged at the Empress with he knife.

"You stupid, slutty bitch!" Ciel exclaimed, swinging her knife through the air.

"Ooo," the Empress replied, catching Ciel's forearm in her hand and sinking her claws into the flesh. "Fiesty!"

I got to my feet, and drop my sword swinging down at her. She caught it in her other hand.

"Nice try, sweetheart," she chuckled.

"Made you look," I replied.

A brief moment of confusion crossed her face, just as Keran hit her from behind with a massive blast of cold air. She lost her grip on my sword and Ciel's arm, and the blast sent her flying straight at Davey, who clocked her with his free hand, knocking her out. He then turned away from her.

"Show yourself, old man!" he demanded.

Another figured appeared before us, dressed in dark black clothing, with a long hooded cloak draped over him. The Ace of Sword.

"So eager for the reunion," he said.

"Hardly," Davey replied. "How many times do I have to fight you off before you leave me and my family alone!?"

"I have my orders, David," the Ace of Swords replied, raising his hands to reveal a gun in each of them. "I am to bring you. No matter who else dies in the process."

Suddenly, I felt another overwhelming feeling. But this time, it was an intense, and very real fear. I dropped to my knees, trembling. The same happened to Ciel and Keran, but Davey once again proved stronger than whatever we were feeling, only staggering slightly before returning to his fighting stance.

What came next was a rapid battle that I could barely keep track of. Davey's sword flashed through the air in blindingly fast motions, deflecting the Ace's bullets before they could hit him, and every time Davey got close enough to attack with his sword, the Ace would parry with the barrels of his guns. At once point, Davey lunged with a stabbing attack, only for the Ace to jump upward, causing the blade to plunge into a wall. The Ace then proceeded to kick Davey away from him, then pulled the sword out of the wall, tossing it into the air. As it came back down, he shot the swords hilt, sending it flying at Davey, who managed to plant his feet, dodge the blade, then grab the hilt out of midair and deflect the Ace's next shot with a quick slash.

I don't know exactly how the Ace of Swords was able to force us all to feel such intense fear, but as the fight between them went on, his power over me seemed to weaken a bit. I struggled back to my feet, tightening my grip on my sword. I took a deep breathe, and charged at the Ace while he had his back turned. Is slashed him diagonally across the back, leaving a line of crimson pouring from beneath his cloak. For a split second, I thought I had gotten him good.

I was immediately proven wrong. The wound did little to slow him down, and he turned to me. A bullet tore through my side, and searing pain spread from the wound, quickly engulfing my whole body. The sword fell from my hand, and I dropped to the ground, writhing in agony.

"Terrence!" Davey exclaimed.

I struggled to look up at him. The look of concern on his face was quickly replaced by anger, and he swung his sword through the air behind him, tearing open some kind of rift. He stepped through it.

"No!" The Ace of Swords shouted, as Davey sliced his sword through the rift, causing it to vanish, with him on the other side.

The agony I was feeling faded, leaving only the pain of the bullet wound itself.

"He's... abandoning us?" I panted.

"He made the right choice," the Ace of Swords said bitterly, as a set of claws inside is sleeves pulled the guns out of his hands, storing them somewhere in his sleeves. "I was here for him. I have no reason to bother the rest of you any further now that he's gone."

He turned and walked over to the Empress's unconscious figure. Before he could collect her, KEran rose to her feet angrily.

"You bastard!" she exclaimed, hurling a giant ball of fire at him.

He was caught off guard, and the flames hit him full force, very nearly knocking him over. The smoke cleared quickly. While his body seemed mostly unharmed by the fireball, his clothing has been scorched badly, and his hood had been burnt away entirely. I could now see his face clearly.

He had long, greasy hair, and a straight black goatee. Beneath all of that, his nose, jawline, and cheekbones looked all too familiar. He was damn near identical to Davey, albeit a decade or so older.

He looked curiously at Keran, and began approaching her.

"Interesting," he said. "I've never seen a female Devil Killer before."

He continued walking toward her, as she backed up, clearly intimidated by him.

"I didn't even know it was possible," he continued. "Tell me, what is your name, girl?"

I fought through my pain, picked my sword back up, and got between them as quickly as I could, bringing the sword up to face him.

"Get out!" I demanded.

He stared me down for a moment before turning, collecting the Empress, and vanishing into thin air.

So yeah. Davey's gone, and I have a fresh bullet wound that hurts like hell, despite Ciel's treatment.

I hope Justin's next match goes better than that whole experience.

Fallen

Sal's been defeated. He went up against the Faceless Bastard, and, well...

Faceless... or, rather, Sergei, I should say. He got in some cuts early in the fight. Sal gradually lost more and more blood as the fight went on. Eventually, despite his efforts to win using his terrain control, he lost consciousness. Sergei charged in and tried to end it, when something unexpected happened.

The terrain shifted again, entrapping him, and the Ace of Diamonds appeared in between the two of them.

"What is the meaning of this?" William demanded.

"Valon Saltown has lost consciousness," she replied. "By your own rules, the fight is now over."

William's bony hands clenched tightly. His frustration was obvious.

"Am I wrong?" she asked him, in a challenging tone.

After a few moments, William relaxed a bit and nodded.

"Very well," he said. "Valon Saltown has been defeated. the winner is Sergei Korchaviv."

The Ace of Diamonds left, seeming relieved, and took Sal with her, as the terrain returned to normal, setting Sergei free.

I bolted immediately, making my way to Sal's room, thinking it was the most obvious place for them to take him. As I ran, I thought of what I had just witness, and a couple pieces fell into place to me.

The Ace of Diamonds has the same powers as Sal does. Furthermore, the way she stepped in to stop Sergei... That wasn't the action of someone randomly trying to spare a live. That as the action of a parent protecting their child.

I made it there and flung open the door. Sure enough, Sal was lying unconscious in bed, with one of the Hearts standing over him, treating his wounds. But someone else was there as well, sitting in a chair. I recognized him as the Eight of Clubs. The Shopkeeper who had melted my scythe before. The reason Malkator was in this tournament.

"What the fuck are you doing here!?" I demanded.

"Watch your language," He said coldly.

Ignoring him, I turned to the Heart.

"Is he alright?" I asked.

"He will be," she said. "So long as you stop distracting me while I work."

The Eight of Clubs took a moment to stretch out and adjust his seating.

"Seriously, why are you here?" I asked.

"If you must know," he said, nodding toward Sal. "I'm here to see that my nephew is taken care of."

Nephew? Sal mention his dad was a Spade, but he never said anything about a Diamond mom and a Club uncle.

"So wait," I said, turning back to the Heart. "Are you related to Sal too?"

"I'm just here to treat his wounds," she said, through gritted teeth. "Which the two of you are making very difficult for me. Would you please take this conversation outside?"

The Eight of Clubs and I stepped out into the hallway.

"So just who the fuck-"

"Language," he interrupted.

"Who are you, exactly?" I asked.

"My name is Estren Saltown," he said. "Valon's father is my older brother. He had something of a short fling with the boy's mother, and the result was the first ever hybrid Card."

"I see," I said.

"Would you mind doing me a favor?" Estren asked.

"No. Fuck you," I replied.

"Language," he repeated haughtily. "Just listen to me."

He reached up, placing a hand on his mask, shifting it aside to reveal one of his dark black eyes.

"If, in this tournament, you face the man who did this to my nephew..."

His iris suddenly turned a bright yellow, and his pupil stretched upward, thinning into a slit.

"...Wreck his shit."

I smirked at him.

"Language," I snarked.

He tsked at me, before putting his mask bac on and turning to leave.

Wow, Daniel chuckled. If HELLFIRE swears, you know its serious.

"HELLFIRE?" I asked.

Long story, Daniel replied. So, what's the plan from hear?

"The quarter finals are over now," I said. "There's only four of us left. Me, Cerise, Sergei, and Malkator."

What do you think? Daniel said. Can we take them?

"We have one advantage against all of them," I said.

Oh? Daniel asked.

"Our fight with Henry wasn't just me vs him," I said. "You and Judgement were also part of that fight. No matter who we fight next..."

Will be 2 on 1, Daniel said.

"In our favor," I said, nodding.

Heh, Daniel chuckled. Maybe having a dead guy living in your head could give you an edge. But we'll need a plan.

"Don't worry," I assured him. "I got this."

And with that, I left to go find Anthony. I needed words with him.

Execution

After what felt like forever, my fight finally came up. I was hanging out in my room with Sal when I got the notification to make my way to the arena. I picked up my scythe, pocketed my watch, and was about to head out the door when Sal stopped me.

"Hold on," he said grabbing the bottle of APple cider off my bedside table. "Why not have a quick drink before you go out there?"

"I think I'd be off staying sober for this," I said.

"A little buzz won't kill you, will it?" Sal said.

"I think I'll pass," I replied.

"Justin," Sal said, looking me dead in the eye, with a serious expression, as he cracked open the bottle. "Trust me."

I hesitated for a moment before taking the bottle from him. I raised it to my lips and took a couple swigs, tasting the bitter sweetness of it as it spilled down my throat.

"Feel better?" Sal asked.

"Yeah," I said, handing the bottle back to him. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me just yet," Sal replied. "Now get out there."

I began walking to the arena. As I did, I felt a weird sensation in my mind. This wasn't a normal buzz. It took a few moments for me to recognize what I was feeling.

Adrenaline. I was feeling a massive build up of adrenaline. Stronger than anything I had felt in a long time.

I arrived at the arena to find Henry standing across from my. I smiled to my self, as Daniel nervously shuddered inside my head.

Not good, he said to me. We can't win against them.

Quiet, you, I thought back. Enough of that defeatist talk. I can take him.

William stood up, addressing us all.

"The next battle will be between Justin Ferin and Henry Mitchel," he announced. "Begin!"

The platforms began doing their weird elevating thing like it did in the last couple fights. Henry and I stood on the same platform, staring each other down.

"Justin Gremori Ferin," Henry said. "Daniel Xavier Ferris. Your Judgement begins now!"

"Bring it," I said, taking a stance.

He threw one of his hammers, as I had expected. I quickly hooked the head of the flying hammer with my scythe, spun around quickly, and sent it flying right back at him. His eyes widen in alarm, and he barely dodged it. It fell to a lower platform out of his reach.

I took advantage of the momentary distraction and closed the gap between us. I began swinging my scythe up close with rapid, flourishing motions. The blade grazed his arms and shins a few times as he struggled to defend himself. I knew I'd have trouble overpowering him, but if I could get some light damage in, I'd be able to wear him out and leave him weakened.

As I kept it up, I realize that the Eye was locked onto the blade of my scythe, following its every move. As it did, he slowly got better at deflecting my attacks with his remaining hammer.

What's going on? I thought to myself.

I told you, Daniel replied. We can't win. Judgement is watching all of your moves and adapting to them. Add to that the benefits of his Enhancement, and we've got an enemy you can't fight.

The tables turned. Henry became the one attacking, while I struggled to defend against him.

Super strength and the ability to predict and counter your fighting style, Daniel said. We're dead. We are so de-

SHUT UP! I snapped back at him. If predicting my moves is a strength of his, then I just have to be unpredictable!

And then I spat in his gross, glowing eye. And I think I still had some cider on my tongue, so I imagine it must've stung a bit, especially considering his reaction He cried out, dropped his hammer and clutched at his eye, desperately trying to rub the spit out of it.

See, Daniel? I said. Everyone has an Achilles Heel! Speaking of...

I hooked the blade of my scythe around one of his legs, and pulled hard, causing him to fall over. I raised my scythe again, and prepared to bring it down on his head. Unfortunately, he recovered too quickly, and knocked the scythe out of my hand before grabbing me by the skull and slamming me into the side of a nearby platform.

"That stung!" he hissed at me, as the veins protruded in his glowing eye. "Now, that pretty little sis of yours is going to see what the insides of your skull look like."

I suddenly felt one of my hands moving of its own accord. The index and middle fingers straightened out and grew tense, while the other fingers curled back.

What the...? I thought.

Yeah, gonna borrow this real quick, Daniel replied.

"And once I win this bloody tournament," Henry continued, "I'll track that little bitch down and kill her t-"

My fingers shot forward and jabbed him straight in the glowing eye. He cried out in agony and stepped back, releasing me.

What the fuck was that!? I demanded.

An Immortal Man strike, Daniel replied. It's when you tense up your lead two fingers and-

I know what an Immortal Man is! I snapped. Did you just possess my fucking hand!?

Yeah, for a second! He replied. He was about to kill you!

"Damn it!" Henry roared, rubbing at his eye. It starting to swell already, and the yellow glow had shifted to a soft pink.

I think that weakened the Eye's power, Daniel said. At least a little bit. So maybe...

No maybes, I replied. We definitely have a chance. Now less commentary and more planning. I get the feeling you know more about the Enhanced than I do. Weakness?

The heart, Daniel replied.

I suddenly had a vision of an Enhanced man clutching at his chest, as his heart visible beat arrhythmically until it seemed to explode indie his chest, and he dropped to the ground, with blood spilling from his mouth as he took his last, pained breathe.

The human body isn't made to handle the kind of eldritch power Slender Man infuses into the Enhanced, Daniel continued. Slendy might have improved the Enhancement process in the universe, but it's not perfect.

So his heart is vulnerable? I replied. You shoulda said so sooner.

I charged at Henry. He swung, but I blocked it balled up one of my fists, and swung as hard as I could.

Now, you all know from a previous post that my training regimen involves swinging a lopsided barbell around in order to build up muscle and adapt to the weight distribution of a scythe.

That being said, I can hit like a fucking truck.

My fist landed right on his heart, and he stepped back. His dense muscled softened the blow, but damage had clearly been done. A drip of blood poured from between his lips. I charged forward again and got in a second jab, hurting him some more. I reeled back, preparing a third blow, but he vanished, reappearing a short distance away.

How did he do that? I asked.

The Godsway, Daniel said. The domain of the Fears. The Eye is allowing him to access it. Which means they're getting desperate.

Henry's body trembled, and I could see a soft, burning light under his skin, along his muscles.

Unfortunately for him, the human body isn't made for that either, Daniel said. Keep it up! Keep him on the edge!

I charged at him again, and he teleported away again. This time, he appeared where I had dropped my scythe, and he scooped it up, turning back to me. He charged at me, but I'm clearly more experienced in scytheplay than him, and I disarmed him easily and got in another hit to his chest. He teleported again, this time reappearing against a wall, slumping against it. He panted heavily, clutching his heavily beating heart.

"No," He growled. "No. No! NO! I can't let it end like this!"

"It's over!" I said, charging at him.

My torso was suddenly met with his iron fist, and I hunched over, gasping for breath. He struck me again, shattering some of my ribs, then he grabbed me by the hair and threw me to the side. My scythe clattered to the ground beside me. I panted, and raised my eyes to look at him.

He stood there, shuddering, as his muscles throbbed, and blackness began oozing from his wounds.

What is this? I wondered. Some kind of second wind?

Auto-Hallowfication, Daniel said. He's allowing the Enhancement to corrupt his mind and soul as some kind of last resort.

Well, shit, I thought, fighting off the pain and picking my scythe back up.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," came another voice. A voice I new all too well.

I looked up into the familiar gaze of my old Mentor, Rillek. But he's body was shadowy, and completely translucent. Ghostlike.

YOU! Daniel said. Why are you hear!?

"Ah, yes," the phantom said. "Mr. Ferris. I'm sorry about what happened all those years ago. I truly am."

It suddenly clicked for me.

"You're the Archangel," I whispered.

He smiled, and raised a finger to his lips.

"Only you and Daniel can see me right now," he said. "You opponent is currently wielding the strength of two Fears. Seems a little unbalanced, right?"

As he spoke, Henry's good eye turned solid black, and his possessed eye glowed with a fierce crimson light. The Archangel stepped beside me, placing a hand on my own hand that was gripping my scythe.

"His soul is still intact," the Archangel said, and as he spoke, I became aware of Henry's soul.

I couldn't see it, but I could feel it, like a black mist writhing inside his body.

"For now, anyway," the Archangel continued. "Once he becomes fully Hallowed, there won't be much of a soul left to take."

A soft, gray-blue light appeared around my scythe's blade.

"You'll have to act quickly," the Archangel whispered in my ear, as he faded away. "You know what to do."

I readied my scythe, and Henry and I charged at each other.

"Dread Harvester!" I shouted, as I swung the scythe.

The blade seemed to phase harmlessly through his body, but as it did, it tore away some of that black mist inside of him, and his fell to his knees, shaking.

"What did you do to me?" he asked.

"I tore out a chunk of your soul," I said, as the black mist flowed through my nobody, nullifying my wounds. "For my own consumption."

He looked up at me in horror for a moment, before his expression was replaced by rage. He made a last ditch effort to strike me, but I hit him first, slugging him hard in the face. He dropped to his hands and knees, coughing up blood, mixed with blackness. I placed the edge of my scythe against his exposed throat.

"Embrace the Archangel, motherfucker," I said. "And when you do, give Oceana my regards."

And with a sharp tug, I took off his head. A moment later, William announced my victory. I returned to my room and lay down in my bed. I was tired.

You've met the Archangel before? I asked Daniel

I don't want to get into it, He replied.

Fair enough, I thought back.

So yeah. There's only one fight left of the Semi-finals. The only people left are Sal and Faceless. Wonder how that'll go...

Stabbies

So, the latest fight was that Cerise girl vs Javonir Horak. And I have to say...

Why do all the hot people keep dying?

It was a close fight, but Cerise eventually managed to stab him to death. A shame. He was sexy as hell without that robe.

I feel like I'm getting off track...

There's only 2 fights left of the quarter finals, meaning I have 3 possible opponent's I may be up against.

It could be Sal. I hope not. I'd like us both to proceed to the semis, if at all possible.

Then there's Faceless. I'd love to duke it out with him. Especially since Daniel confirmed that we're "friends" in some other, distant universe. And from what I've heard of him, I think it'd be a fun battle.

But who I'm really hoping for, is Henry. That dude has such a hate boner for me that it'd be disappointing not to fight him. Daniel seems convinced We stand no chance, but the shear risk itself is tantalizing to me. Plus, I've never fought a Judgement before. I'm curious what the Eye exactly does for them.

Also, Malkator seemed pretty convinced that our destinies are about to intertwine, so... I think I'll trust him on that. Finger crossed.

Venom and Fire

The quarter finals have begun. We were all called to the arena for the first fight. I could feel my sister's gaze on me from the family stands above us.

"It is time," William announced, shuffling a small deck of 8 cards. "The first fight of the quarter finals shall begin!"

He drew two cards from the deck, and looked at them. 

"Ah," he said. "The fighters shall be Sera Philips versus Benjamin Malkator!"

Malkator exhaled slowly, and pulled his hood up.

"Enter the arena," William said.

Sera umped out of the stands and landed gracefully below us. Malkator followed, stepping over the edge and floating down slowly. They took their places across from each other.

"I guess we'll get to see her fighting style now," Anthony said. "I feel like I kind of cheated you all out of the spectacle when I threw my fight."

"However she fights, I don't know if she'll be able to hold up against him," I said. "I've never really seen him fight before, but if the stories are true..."

Sera was already in a fighting stance. Malkator, remaining stoic, simply stood still as his sheathed sword appeared in his hand.

"I won't go easy on you," Sera said.

"This fight will only end one way," Malkator said.

"Before we begin," William said, "Let's change things up a  little."

He clapped his hands, and the arena split into multiple pieces, moving up and down randomly, constantly changing the elevation of each part. Malkator and Sera were both standing on the same rising chunk, and while Sera nearly lost her footing, Malkator just kept standing there, calmly.

"Begin!" William announced.

Sera, straightening herself up, darted with shocking speed toward Malkator. She began striking at him rapidly, with graceful, fluid motions. Malkator used his sheathed weapon to casually deflect her attacks. Malkator suddenly vanished, reappearing behind her and gripping the hilt of his blade. In one swift motion, he drew it from its sheath and swung horizontally at her. She noticed him just in time, and managed to step back enough to evade the length of the blade. She then darted forward again, maneuvering to avoid his sword, and hit him in the chest with a strong jab, knocking him off the edge of the platform.

While falling, Malkator stabbed his blade into the side of the platform, grinding his decent to a halt. He kicked off from the wall, landing on a separate portion of the arena. Sera glared down at him.

"That the best you can do?" Malkator asked.

"Just wait 'til I get down there!" She replied.

"Might wanna make that fast," Malkator said, returning his sword to its sheath. "That platform you're on doesn't have much time left."

As if on cue, giant cracks began forming all over the chunk of arena they'd started on, and a harsh red glow burned from beneath them. She realized what was happening and jumped down from the platform as it was consumed in flame and began falling apart.

"It's just like his last fight," Anthony said. "That sword of his can burn anything he stabs it into."

"Looks that way," I said.

"If he gets a hit in with that sword, even a nonfatal one, it'll be over for her," he said.

The platform had now been completely destroyed, leaving several of the surrounding platforms covered in smoldering rock. Sera growled angrily and charged again. She engaged him in close quarters again, unleashing rapid attacks that he continued blocking. He managed to shove her back a couple feet, and reached for the hilt of his sword again. 

But she was ready this time. As he drew it from its sheath she quickly lunged toward his hand and sunk her teeth into it. Malkator, gasping in pain, dropped both the sword and sheath and teleported a short distance away, clutching his bleeding hand.

"Um, that girl is a Lilim, right?" I asked.

"Yes," Anthony replied.

"And aren't Lilim's, uh, poisonous?" I continued.

"No, of course not," Anthony answered. "That would be ridiculous."

"Oh," I said.

"They're venomous," he went on.

"Fuck," I muttered.

Sera rushed toward him, kicking him in the face with a powerful, whip-like motion, sending him flying several yards away. Malkator pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, panting heavily.

"This isn't looking good for him," Anthony said.

Malkator looked up at her, glaring, and raised a hand. Several of the burning rock chunks trembled a bit, before rising into the air.

"What the-?" I muttered.

Malkator thrusted his hand forward, and the chunks of rock went flying directly at Sera, who barely managed to dodge. She angrily rush at him, kicking him again, sending him flying away even further. He rolled onto his pant, coughing up blood.

"It's over," she hissed. "Just lay there and let the venom take you."

Malkator wiped the blood from his mouth and chuckled a bit.

"What?" she asked, taking a worried step backwards.

Malkator calmly sat up, and rose to his feet, looking no worse for wear.

"Did you really think that little dose you gave me would be enough to keep me down?" he asked.

He turned to face her, as his sword reappeared in his hand. I was instantly engulfed in a cyclone of scorching flames. I could feel their intense heat all the way from where I was seated. The flames then soaked into the blade, leaving it with a crimson glow. He swung the sword, and it unleashed a massive blast of superheated wind, that sent Sera flying, slamming into a nearby platform. A lot of her clothes had been burnt away in the blast, exposing the scaled flesh beneath.

Malkator switched the still glowing sword into a reverse grip, and plunged it into the ground. Sera snarled at him, and charged at him yet again. Before she had even made it halfway to him, Malkator looked up and uttered a single word.

"Erupt."

The ground beneath Sera's feet cracked open as intense heat erupted from beneath her. She stopped in her tracks and cried out in agony as blisters began covering her body, and her hair and clothes smoldered. Malkator pulled the blade from the ground and darted toward her with blinding speed.

He now stood behind her, as the glow faded from the blood coated word in his hand. Sera collapsed to the ground, clutching the gash he had left in her gut. Malkator wiped the blood off on his jacket.

"Like I said," he muttered. "It would only end one way."

He sheathed his sword. Flames quickly spread out from her wound, consuming her body and leaving nothing behind. Her parents up in the stands were left speechless.

"Benjamin Malkator is the winner!" William announced. "He will be moving on to the semifinals."

"Sod off, you prick," Malkator muttered, as he made his way to the nearest exit.

"The next fight will begin once we have-," William began, before giving an exasperated pause and continuing. "Once we have, yet again, repaired the damage to the arena."

So yeah. Malkator burnt another hot chick to a crisp. Yikes.

Call

I saw Ciel's post. Good to know Terrence and this Davey dude are alright.

I don't know when the next phase of the finals are gonna start. It's driving me crazy. I've got some serious competition ahead of me.

In other news, I got a call on Anthony's phone the other night. Against my better judgement, I answered.

"Justin?" asked a familiar voice from the other end.

"Jenna," I replied.

"It's been a while," she said.

"I know."

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Of course I am," I replied. "Why?"

"Because your my brother, dumbass," she said. "I worry about you."

"Jenna Grace Ferin, you watch your fucking mouth," I said.

She chuckled.

"Good to know you've still got your humor," she said. "After seeing you fight, I wasn't kind of worried... you know..."

"That I've turned into a heartless killer over the past few years?" I asked.

"I wasn't gonna say that," she said.

There was silence for a few seconds.

"That guy you fought was an Oathbreaker, right?" she asked.

"How do you know about them?" I asked.

"Tony told me," she said. "He's dealt with them before. Says to look out for their symbol whenever I go to the doctors."

"Yeah," I said. "There's other ways to tell, but servant's do love their symbols."

"And what about you?" she asked. "You're... the same, right?"

I let out a sigh and remained quiet. This is why I didn't wanna talk to my family.

"Tony told me," she said. "But I didn't notice any symbols on you..."

"I'm... not as fond of the symbols," I admitted.

More silence.

"Look," she said after a while. "I get that you don't wanna talk about this, but I worry about you. Mom and dad worry about you. Just... Promise you'll be okay, alright?"

"I will," I said.

"I mean it," she said. "I watched those other fights, and I don't like the look of your competition."

"I'll be fine," I said. " I'm not about to die here. I made a promise, and I'm not dying until I've kept it."

"Well, then make me a promise too," she said.

"Fine," I said. "What is it?"

"Stay alive," she said. "And when you make it out of here, give me a call?"

I enhaled slowly before answering.

"Done," I said.

"Good," she said. "Good night, Justin."

"Night, Jenna," I replied.

I hung up, and lay there for a few minutes, thinking of how long it had been since I've spoken those last words.

Hey Justin. Ciel here. Terrence made it back okay. Thought you should know. He was hurt pretty badly from that fight with Henry, but he's made a full recovery.

As for Davey... Uh, he seems to be doing alright.  He hasn't kept his promise to kill me if something happens to Julia, so... That's good? I guess?

Just... whatever you're planning in terms of getting those two back here... Please do it soon. I can't really get a read on that guy, but I think he's really worried.

And more importantly, take of yourself, dumbass.