Bleugh
Vomiting blood was not a good sign if you wanted people to think you were winning a fight. One might even argue it had the exact opposite effect! Tyr was currently the one hurling his bodily fluids over the floor as Scar''s fist had gotten intimate with Tyr''s stomach. Scar was the playground bully who''d stolen another kid''s toy and wasn''t giving it back right now as the Sword Of Damocles was sat firmly in his other hand like an obedient little prisoner of war. Despite the beatdown, Tyr was in a good mood. That timer was ticking away and, even if he died, as long as Deimos could keep that talisman in his possession then that was all they needed to steal the Umbras'' hard earned win. Tyr made use of the Staff Of Jako''s speed benefit to lead Scar around and avoid his sudden Blink ambushes to the best of his ability. At this point he wasn''t even really casting arts because there was no point. He would just be wasting his own mana and potentially leaving him open to Scar. He didn''t mind dying but if he died too quickly then Scar would have free reign to aid Verv and that was clearly a problem. Right now Tyr was Scar''s punching bag, that was all.
As Scar''s fist descended towards him for what felt like the millionth time, Tyr raised the Staff and chanted "Echo" to take the big guy by surprise. Tyr still had his pressurised Echoes up his sleeve and could help delay the inevitable if used properly! Scar''s fist was blasted backwards but no injury was sustained as he went right back to pummelling, or at least attempting to, Tyr. Tyr could do naught but kiss his teeth at the ineffectiveness of the Echo. It wasn''t Ares'' fault, the Echo was a perfect art in many ways and the pressurised version even more so... The issue here was clearly the brute that could shrug off the attack like it was nothing. Tyr didn''t have many attacks in his arsenal that could do in a rabid beast like Tyr or Verv. There were some but casting them at this range was a death sentence and Scar would never give Tyr the range he needed to do so safely anyway. In many ways Scar was a terrible matchup for Tyr as he held all the tools necessary to make his life a living hell. He wasn''t torn up about it though as he always knew going into this that Scar was a league above him. The guy was next in line to become the new generation ''season'' of his clan. Granted they hadn''t come up with a name for the group yet but their infamy and renown was already spreading like wildfire. Truthfully, nobody on the Legion team other than maybe Pele at maximum Feel The Heat! could hold out against this guy. It would require Bellona or Enyo to put this lug to sleep permanently and they weren''t competing for the Legions right now. Bellona was a fifty fifty and could go either way but Enyo, with how powerful she''d become as of late, would wipe the floor with Scar and he knew it.
While Tyr tangoed with the living tank, Deimos was trying to give Verv the run around. On the one hand, the Grand Prix was gone and that sucked big time. On the other hand he didn''t have to take awkward measures in order to keep Verv''s attention away from the Grand Prix anymore. Plus Fate was gone so Deimos only had a single opponent to pay attention to and, for that, he was thankful. His brother had gone above and beyond before passing him the torch. Said torch was on the verge of being snuffed out by even the faintest of winds but Deimos wasn''t in a position to complain. The Legions weren''t the kind of people to throw blame around and everyone... Everyone other than Palioxis had performed admirably. In some ways Pali had screwed everyone by letting Fate do as she pleased but whatever, the twerp had her fun and she was still young enough to be selfish every now and then. Deimos was more pre-occupied with fending off Verv than figuring out who''s fault this mess was. It had all come down to this so rapidly that he was still playing catch up internally but, as that wasn''t helpful right now, he devoted his all to dodging Verv''s rampaging. Attacking the guy was useless right now as Deimos already had the talisman. It had just ticked up to 2:20 so only ten more seconds and a win was a win, no matter how flimsy.
Deimos ducked under a swing, dodged to the left avoid a kick, and hopped back out of range of a headbutt that very nearly caught him off guard. That last attack was clearly the true goal and it seemed Verv was aware that the talisman was a problem that needed to be dealt with. He wasn''t trying to kill Deimos just yet as that was a high risk strategy. Now that the Grand Prix was out of the cards it would be better for Verv to get the talisman and do some running himself! He was faster than the Grand Prix, after all, and Scar was winning his battle. If Verv got the talisman the roles would reverse instantly. Pele and Skyzo would return too but Scar and Skyzo would switch out. Scar could beat a weak Pele and Deimos with his hands behind his back while Skyzo held out against Tyr. Everyone would die shortly after and hey presto, a loss is a loss. That also didn''t mean Verv couldn''t kill Deimos and just end things here if things went really well for whatever reason though.
All in all, these next few seconds were going to be tense and Deimos could feel his heart almost beating out of his chest. He really wanted to win this but he was starting to run out of space as the arena wall was coming up behind his back. If he kept retreating like this he was going to run out of space. Escaping to the sides wasn''t an option either due to Verv''s superior speed. The second Deimos turned his back he would just get tackled again like last time so he was locked into this duel and, worse still, he couldn''t get hit at all without losing the win condition... And he didn''t have his gourd anymore, so he couldn''t access Burning Rubber and its holy buffs, because he threw it at the Grand Prix earlier... Nightmare.
Verv started spinning with the sword and was acting like a little kid with a very big stick. He was absolutely getting dizzy as a result of his action but, whereas a normal person would stop, Verv actually started speeding up instead. He was even managing to generate some pretty serious winds that were capable of tearing into flesh and this seemed to be the way in which he tried to steal the talisman this time. Any small bump or scratch counted but Deimos chose to back up once more instead of interacting with the human tornado. Verv couldn''t keep the spinning up forever, unfortunately for him, as eventually he did reach a state in which he was too dizzy to to even see anymore. If he''d been all by his lonesome out in the wild he probably wouldn''t have stopped spinning for at least an hour but, as there was still enough intelligence in this mutt''s brain to understand his family was counting on him, he halted his fun spinny time. Also, Deimos had now backed up against the wall fully so his goal was close at hand. Verv actually had the foresight to put the sword away which was objectively correct for a number of reasons. First of all it was heavy so, if he missed his next swing he would potentially give Deimos a chance to run away and that was no good. With his bare fists Verv could react to any potential escape attempts immediately if he failed an attack because he wasn''t putting as much weight and effort into them. He could also start sprinting after Deimos without needing to put his sword on his back after missing, wasting precious time. Also also, if he got the talisman here, he needed to be able to run not after Deimos, but away from him! The sword wasn''t needed here so on his back it went.
Deimos kissed his teeth and complained inwardly that someone as berserk as Verv had no business being this smart. It was unfair that his brain was functioning as well as it was under his current state! Deimos had once taken a medicine that restored his mana but made him temporarily berserk. He woke up later in one of the Legion''s infirmaries, unsure of what happened after he took the medicine as he''d blacked out immediately. Apparently he lost control and started trying to be a menace with his bike but Rhea promptly gave him some tough love and knocked him out cold. Point being he stood no chance against the berserk inducing agent and he lost his mind instantly. There was no strategy or formulating of plans to enhance his rampage, the berserk Deimos just went for it raw. Of course Rhea would have slapped him anyway but he might have fared a little better had he given his attempt some consideration. Granted it was a good thing he didn''t, he was just wondering how on earth Verv did it. The guy was a monster, clearly.
Deimos was unsure of how to proceed. Being backed against the wall like this made his range of movement decrease worryingly so he might actually just have to take the hit and attempt to retaliate right after. It''s not like it would be the first time he''d lost the talisman in this fight, he just needed to make sure he lost it for as little time as possible to raise the Legions'' odds. Something did concern Deimos about this whole situation, though, namely that Verv had really wriggled his sword onto his back, almost like he was attempting to do something specific but, from this angle, Deimos couldn''t see what it was. It was well established that Verv, for all his faults, wasn''t stupid. Whatever it was he was up to would no doubt become relevant soon because there wasn''t much time left to make a move. This fear that Verv was plotting something increased exponentially the second Deimos noticed Verv start approaching him with one hand still firmly placed on the handle of the sword. He''d sheathed it on his back but was still holding it? Why? What benefit did this provide him? If he was going to try and swing it then surely there was no reason to sheath it in the first place? Did this dumb mutt know some kind of sword draw technique? With a great sword? Deimos felt like he was losing his mind trying to analyse a revenant of all things so he simply gave up and focused on the matter at hand. Deimos was about to lose the talisman here, he was confident of that, but he still had a trick up his sleeve he hadn''t demonstrated yet and that was his plan to achieve victory. There was potential for it all to go wrong but the same was true of every plan he came up with right now so he bet it all on the one that had the highest potential success rate and braved himself for the Verv assault to commence.
Back over by...
Crack
Back over by...
Crack
... back over by Tyr, Scar was ruthlessly picking on his opponent. It was like taking candy from a baby... And then beating the baby up afterwards. The Sword Of Damocles wasn''t even being used against its owner but it still sort of acted like a passive taunt that drove Tyr to the point of insanity, driving him to repeatedly try and take it back, the results of which were, Crack, precisely as you''d expect. That last crack was the sound of one of Tyr''s arms bending backwards. Scar could potentially end Tyr''s life but he wanted to do things properly. He didn''t rush and push his luck, he simply let his opponent self-destruct. Tyr was unable to escape from the Blinks, Couldn''t remain passive directly in front a superior opponent, and lost every time he tried to take the initiative. It was like watching a wounded bee keep trying to sting a sheet of metal. Even those who didn''t support the Legions felt pity for the guy who was trying his darndest to pull off a miracle. Now he had already pulled off multiple before, so really he was being a bit greedy here, but he kept trying nonetheless. If he could sneak even a single attack past Scar''s guard and recover his weapon then he would feel so much more comfortable but it just wasn''t happening.
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Scar''s biceps were a daunting wall that refused to crumble as Tyr whacked them with his Staff Of Jako. The improved speed didn''t increase the power of his strikes so he failed time and time again, occasionally getting punished by Scar when he deemed it possible to do so without falling into an ambush. Tyr was being slowly and methodically dismantled and he couldn''t prevent it. Even if he wanted to try and cast arts the Staff''s effect that benefitted such an action only worked at longer ranges... His two personal treasures complimented each other perfectly and he''d basically lost one half of a whole by accidentally allowing his Sword to be stolen from right under him. In Tyr''s desperation to make a comeback he''d gone overboard and tried too hard against H.I.JACK, committing to a high risk move that failed to pay off. Now he was the one paying as Scar''s fist crumpled him to the floor by striking his gut. Tyr, on his knees, threw up but didn''t remain in place as he stumbled backward to avoid Scar''s foot which had tried to promptly crush his head on the floor. Tyr rolled left and crawled to the right as a series of stomps chased him backwards along the floor like Scar was trying to stamp a skittering spider. Tyr did eventually return to a standing position only to have Scar Blink towards him and kick him in the ribs. The CRACK this time was loud enough to echo through the arena and reach even the spectators who recoiled slightly from the noise. This crack signalled the beginning of the end for Tyr who was barely even able to move anymore, let alone wield his weapon defensively.
Scar reached forward and grabbed the Staff with his free hand, to prevent Tyr from defending himself, while bringing the Sword Of Damocles down on its owners leg. Tyr couldn''t avoid it without abandoning his other treasure too and that was unacceptable. Be it from a humiliation or self-defence stand point it was something he couldn''t let happen so he stubbornly clung to the Staff and chanted an art as the Sword severed his left leg. "Overheat!" This wasn''t exactly the opportunity he wanted but if he was going to get hit anyway he might as well make the most of it. As the Sword in Scar''s hand tore through Tyr''s leg, causing him to almost topple over as he grunted in pain and tried to ignore the river of blood cascading out of him, a raging inferno covered the two cultivators from head to toe and now the spectators were blissfully unaware of what was happening. Even Ares with his Omniscience struggled to see through it but what he did know was that the Overheat was nowhere near enough to stop Scar from brutalising Tyr under the cover of the wall of flames. Ares could have sworn he saw Scar manage to stab Tyr in the gut with his own weapon before grabbing onto Tyr''s undamaged arm. A barely audible scream could be heard from within the inferno and that confirmed Ares'' suspicions as Tyr''s other arm was now no doubt broken in half as Scar had presumably twisted it with his bare hands.
Tyr had been stabbed, lost both his arms, and one of his legs, so... Well he was dead, basically. A dead man walking. His time in the arena was limited as he could no longer fight back in any capacity. His weapons had been taken from him and so too had his limbs. So, when the flames subsided, and the spectators could finally see his tattered state, it wasn''t any surprise that everyone sort of gave up any hope they had of a turn around. Scar walked up to Tyr and grabbed his hair, lifted Tyr''s head up high, and brought his fist down on the head to end him swiftly by pulverising everything above the neck... However, Tyr did get one last hit in and we aren''t talking about the spraying blood that drenched Scar''s face. Tyr, utilising the leverage he gained from allowing Scar to lift him by his hair, had kicked out with his one remaining leg to attack Scar''s ankle. It might have seemed insignificant but, based on the look of shock on Scar''s face as he sunk down onto his knee, it was anything but. Did Tyr cast another art? Did he have some kind of gadgetry that he''d stuck onto Scar''s body at the last moment possible? No and no. The answer was, in fact, very simple... Scar had fucked up big time. He''d done one thing he really shouldn''t have, something he didn''t even realise at the time would be his own downfall. He''d stabbed Tyr with his Sword Of Damocles and buried it inside the guy''s body. That damn last kick hit the jackpot because, although Tyr wasn''t directly wielding his personal treasure with his hands, he still technically had it in his possession. Scar''s first reaction was that it was incredibly stupid for that to have worked and he was annoyed at himself for the blunder, his second reaction was to be extremely pissed off that the bastard hit another jackpot, and his third and final reaction was deep concern for the timing of this particular miracle.
Scar''s ankle was now dust and little else.
The armour on Tyr''s foot, combined with all his might and the quadrupling of damage, had crushed the bone with room to spare. Yes Scar was a boulder of a man but he wasn''t actually as tough as Verv was, he just used his strength to shrug off weaker attacks with his sturdy flesh. Something like this was actually a huge problem as it''s not like he could train his bones to be stronger; that required treasures and medicines he''d never found as of yet. For a body temperer to have never found anything to enhance their skeleton was rough but Scar was just unlucky like that. Actually all the Umbras, Ares especially, were terribly unlucky in this regard as cultivation resources eluded them all. Still, the point was that the only thing protecting Scar''s bones were his cultivation and his enhanced flesh. As soon as those two barriers were broken through his body was just as susceptible to injury as anyone else''s.
Although Scar could still move by Blinking around, how useful was he going to be without one of his feet? The fight was ending soon and he probably only had enough time for one more Blink but if Deimos simply moved out of the way how was Scar supposed to chase him, exactly? He could crawl after him... But that wasn''t going to go well. It''s not like Scar minded dragging himself towards his foe in order to win it just wouldn''t be quick enough... Scar had one Blink, and one chance, so he had to make it count. He couldn''t stand anymore so he rested on his knee and, like all the people in the crowd around him, spectated the only fight that was still underway in the arena. Scar''s intentions were different from those who just wanted enjoyment, however, as he was actively looking for a chance to intervene and aid his brother. Would he find said chance? Would he be able to capitalise on it? Given that the talisman only had roughly three seconds left on the clock before ending the match, as Scar and Tyr''s ''fight'' had finished relatively quickly, everyone was about to find out the answers to those questions shortly.
Deimos ducked as Verv''s fist crashed into the wall behind him and tried to fight back by swinging his bat at Verv again which, unsurprisingly, did absolutely nothing! The guy could seriously take hits without faltering. Nothing but death or fainting would ever stop him... Hell that last strike had hit him in the nuts but apparently they were also made of titanium and shrugged off Deimos'' below the belt offensive. Unfortunately Deimos had well and truly exhausted all his options to flee from Verv so a quick kick to the knee from Verv was more than enough to steal the talisman. Deimos knew Verv would turn and run immediately and, sure enough, he did so Deimos wasted no time trying to run after him... At least he did up until Scar appeared right in front of him on his one knee and acted like a road block, preventing Deimos from running at Verv in a straight line. Scar, even without his mobility, was still more than capable of taking Deimos down if challenged so it looked like this would be the end of the match... But this was where Deimos'' final trick would come in handy! This moment was tailor made for his super secret weapon. Deimos whipped it out of his space ring and Scar nearly choked on his saliva because losing to this ''weapon'' would be the most embarrassing thing that had ever happened to him. Deimos only needed to hit Verv, it didn''t have to be a damaging hit or anything so what he chose to bring out and fulfil this criteria was...
...
... A baseball...
In hindsight, this really should have been obvious... If you walked around carrying a baseball bat but not a baseball you were either a delinquent or a killjoy, there really wasn''t much of an in-between. Deimos having one to play around with during his downtime wasn''t even remotely surprising and yet it had taken Scar by surprise nonetheless. Verv had just turned around and was completely unaware of this development which was now looking to be a massive issue. Deimos had planned to lose the talisman and feign helplessness, encouraging Verv to perform a hit and run. As soon as Verv turned his back, Deimos would pelt him with the ball and recover the talisman. By the time Verv made it back to Deimos the timer would have already ticked up and the match would be over. It was a dirty and desperate trick but it was looking like it would be the game winner here. All Deimos had to do was avoid the crawling, bloodied, demon out of hell Scar and smack Verv with the ball which was a task he could maybe even do blindfolded. See Deimos did more than just swing at baseballs for fun, he was really passionate about becoming a professional sportsman. He took his training very seriously and even went to lengths most people wouldn''t. Part of Deimos'' expertise at jousting came from the fact that he''d set up an automatic pitcher back home that he went up against regularly whilst driving his bike. This guy had driven a bike and scored a homerun at the same time like it was nothing countless times already. Deimos'' accuracy and control with the bat, for its intended purpose, was unmatched in the lower domains and he had a bright career ahead of him. He hadn''t expected things to come down to this but, deep down, boy was he glad it did! He knew his bat and this ball like the back of his hand so his confidence, and pride in his talents, was soaring as he lobbed the ball into the air and took a stance.
The Legions timer was at 2:28 right now and would keep ticking up the second the talisman was returned to Deimos. Deimos was prepared to take the game-winning swing. Scar was trying to crawl towards Deimos so that he could steal the talisman back and Blink away before it ticked up to a point of no return. Verv was... Verving? Doing his own thing? Living in his own little world? Actually he had just transitioned into a sprint on all fours... Sort of? He was still holding the sword on his back which would no doubt make running in this position unbelievably awkward. Why he''d done this, and was continuing to do it, was incomprehensible. Only one person in the crowd, Ares with his Omniscience of course, noticed a very small change in Verv''s gear that was near impossible to detect normally but the purpose of this change was really hard to predict. Ares had his own thoughts on this strange matter but decided to wait and see what happened as Verv may have very well come up with a genius plan of his own. Either way, no matter who came out on top, they were now in the final inning and a winner would be decided post-haste. There was no more messing around, and no more time for intricate plots other than those already underway so, thankfully for the sake of the spectators'' blood pressure, these next few seconds would end it all.