In a ruined like city in the middle of the night, where the sky was dark blue, and the stars shined with fury, two men laid on the floor.
One of the men, James Artemis, woke up first as he looked around.
"Where are we?" James said as he looked at the other man, who was Daniel Graves, getting to his feet.
"Daniel, are you okay? Do you know where we are?"
The young man didn't spoke as he looked at James, who stepped back a bit as he saw his eyes, which were completely red.
"Daniel, are you o-"
"AHHH!" Screamed Daniel as he ran to James and tried to cut him in half, only for James to counter with his blade. James looked at the blade, as he recognize more as a claymore (Hey, I never really gave a full description on what it was like how I did with gun.) and back to his eyes.
"Daniel, what the hell is wrong with you? It's me, James!"
Daniel clenched his teeth as he made another swipe, only to miss as James jumped back from him. After doing this so, he saw that Daniel had his gun ready and shot at him.
"Woah!" yelled James as he ducked to the floor. He looked up just in time to see Daniel holding the blade above his head, making James roll to the side.
'His eyes, what is wrong with his eyes? Could it be that Master hand did something to Daniel?'
James looked at his friend as he used his sword to clash with his strikes, preventing damage happening to him. Seeing as he had no choice but to defend himself, the green eyed warrior swung back as he kept moving forward, pushing his friend back until he saw a moment to strike and landed a blow to his abdomen, making him stopped in pain.
'Maybe that will knock some sense in to-'
"GRRRAAA!"
Surprised to hear the yell, James looked at Daniel, who was looking at him with a wild look, as he aimed his gun at James face and pulled the trigger.
"SHIT!"
Moving as fast as he could, James jumped out of the way as he dodged the bullet. He stood about twenty feet away, looking at him with a face of bewilderment.
'Whatever Master hand did to him, he is defiantly not himself. It is as if he is an animal. There got to be a way to wake him up?'
Feeling something running from the side of his cheek, James moved a hand to his face and touched it. He then looked at his hand and took a second to realize what it was.
'Blood? Is this my blood?'
Suddenly, a thought came in to his mind.
'Master hand sent us to get us to kill one another. Right now the others must be watching us, without realizing that he made it so that we can die now.'
As he had this thought in his mind, Daniel charged at him. James noticed this and gotten ready to fight.
During this time, the rest of the fighter began to head to the gathering room, proving James right as they were told that another match has started.
As the group kept walking, Kimchi looked around, noticing that something was wrong.
"Hey, where are James and Daniel?"
Hearing her friend, Ellie began to look around too, only to see that they wasn't there
"I don't know, maybe the others know."
"Know what?" said Roxy as she looked at the two with a raised brow. Kimchi looked at her and responded to her question.
"We don't see where James and Daniel anywhere. Do you know where they are?"
"Afraid not, to be honest, I was going to ask you two the same question myself."
The girls began to get a little worried until Ellie came up with a thought.
"You don't think…that they are the ones fighting now do you?"
The other two looked at her with widen eyes as they took in to what Daniel said the other day in account.
"It could be possible," said a voiced that revealed to be Sam, who over heard them. "James and Daniel were the main two getting to know us during the whole tournament, which could have made Master hand felt a little uneasy. He might have set up the fight to be between them, so that he can get rid of one, or maybe even both of them."
"But how will he do that?" Kimchi said in confusion. "Both of them are friends, and have strong suspicions about what Master hand is doing. They wouldn't just fight one another just to continue on in the tournament."
"True, but there could be a chance that we were just being tricked last night and that Master hand decided to punish them by having them fight one another." Sam said with certainty as Roxy gave him a faint glare.
"Are you suggesting that they would try and play a dirty trick to have an edge over us?"
"It's possible. Remember, Tabuu is a being that no one want to mess with. Saying that he is back might be enough to ruin our confidence."
Roxy glare became more hardened as she looked at him. "Sam. I know that you are a well experienced fighter, and that you may be a very intellectual individual, but you are wrong if you think that James and Daniel would do something like this."
"Really?" Sam said with a curious look. "Tell me why you think that."
"Since we all came in to this tournament, both of them have always been there to greet us and to welcome us. They have also fought against their opponents with a great deal of respect and honor, and have never abused any of the advantages that they had over them. James, who had a gun with him at the time, fought Roy in a fair and just duel, and Daniel, who had an opportunity to fight Sol with his teammates, took him on in a one on one fight, choosing to fight with honor then trickery. Both of them have proven that they are trust worthy, as well as caring to others, so I REFUSE to accept that they would play a trick on us."
Sam looked at her as she stared back. He then turned and shrugged. "Alright, I get it. The two of them might have not have tried to pull a trick on us, but that doesn't change the fact that they are fightning one another."
Sam then moved ahead as he was heading to the area to see the fight. The others looked at one another and soon followed, curious to see what was going on between the two fighters.
Back in the fight, James jumped away from the swipe of Daniel sword as he placed his back near the wall.
'Damn, Daniel is really trying to kill me. How am I going to get us both out of this?'
Looking at his raging friend, James jumped out of the way of his next swipe as it went through the wall. Daniel removed the sword from the wall as he looked at James and dashed to him, hitting him with his shoulder and tackling him through the wall.
As the two fell to the floor of a old building, Daniel stood up and began to pound at James face, each hit becoming harder and stronger as they connected with James face. The green eyed warrior began to feel his awareness slipping as he felt a hand clutching his throat. He was lifted up to the air as Daniel tried to choke him to death.
'No…I can't…focus…he is…too strong…'
Having little to no choice, James lifted his right arm and raised it up high.
'I hope…he won't feel this…in the morning…'
Taking his chance, James landed a heavy blow at Daniels face. At first, James thought that the blow wouldn't work, but once it connected, Daniel let go as he fell to the floor hard, making his head crash the wooden floor. James, who was now taking his chance to breathe the air he almost lost, began to run to the upper portion of the building.
'Damn it, I have no choice now. If I can't reason with him,' James then looked at his right arm as he felt a small glow from it. 'Then I am going to have to beat it in to him.'
Back with the fighter, Master sat in his chair as he looked at the screen, which was showing the battle between Daniel and James.
'This is great. With the two of them at each other throat, my secret will be safe. Once they have killed each other, everyone here will think that they merely reached a draw since they can't see that I have token off the safety feature from here. And after that is done, I can continue the tournament and gain back the trust of fighters, ensuring my master plan in to success.'
Master hand felt sure of his plan as he watched the battle. However, as the bout went on, he noticed that James was trying to avoid fighting Daniel.
'WHAT? Wh…why is he not attacking? I know that I used the same power I used on Daniel on him, so he should be fighting him like a monster. So how, how the hell it that he is not is affected?'
Slouching in his chair, Master hand began to feel cornered as he couldn't figure out his next move.
'Maybe it won't matter. Daniel is strong enough on his own, so he should be more than enough for James since he is fighting like a monster. But still, how did James resist my brain washing. Could it be that arm of his? It was strong enough to break my finger. Hell I was lucky enough to have healed fast enough not to arouse any suspicions. I must know what that arm is, if I am to get any clue about James'
While Master hand watched the fight, the other were watching the battle.
"I just don't get it." Night said as he turned to Abei with a confused look. "If they were trying to warn us about Tabuu, then why is it that they are fighting almost as if they hate each other?"
"I don't know. Master said that the two of them were trying to get in our heads though, so maybe they are fighting like that because they got pissed that they got caught?'
"I don't think so." Ethan said as he paid close attention to the fight. "By the looks of things, I say Daniel is the one who is pissed. James on the other hand seems to be trying to avoid him."
"What, but why would he do that?" Night asked as Ethan shrugged his shoulders
"I don't know. Maybe you were right and Daniel is pissed at James. The plan might have been his idea, so that would explain it. But…"
"But what?"
"…I…I don't believe that James or Daniel would do something like that."
Night raised a brow as Abei gave his two cents on the ordeal.
"Me too. I know that we just met a day ago, but I feel as though I can trust them."
"Well I understand that," Night said as he looked at the fight. "But then what would be the reason for Daniel being so mad?"
"I don't know," Ethan said as he looked at Master hand. "But is think we might find out soon enough."
Back in to the battle, James and Daniel were clashing swords once again. James felt himself sliding near a wall as Daniel kept pushing forward. He soon had hid back to the wall as he saw the young teen getting ready to punch him. The punch met his face as he fell through the wall and landed on the floor.
'Damn, he sure does have one mean hook.'
The green eyed warrior rose to his feet fast enough to see Daniel getti8ng ready to stab him from above. James stepped back as the blade impaled the ground, giving him the chance to attack.
James ducked below Daniel and landed a rising knee to his face, making him fall to the floor. He then grabbed Daniel sword and threw it to the floor away from them. Once Daniel got to his knee, he looked up just in time to see James as he was hit with a left to the floor.
"Daniel, I am sorry for this, but I know for sure that you would do the same for me"
The assault continued for a few minutes as James tried his best to knockout Daniel as fast as he could. Unfortunately, Daniel began to fight back as he head butted James with enough force to make him step back. Too stunned to react, James was soon tackled to the floor hard as Daniel unleased a ferocious cry while attacking him like a beast. The blows that landed on James were brutal, as the green eye warrior began to cough up blood from his mouth, and his vision began to waver.
'No…I…can't let it…end like this…"
The attack ended with a blow to James temple, making his vision nearly fade as he felt a loud ringing to his ears.
'I can't hear anything…Did that last punch gave me a concussion?...Damn it, I can't...I can't think straight. Where did…where did Daniel go…?'
Struggling to get up, James moved to his left and tried to pick himself up. He placed on foot in front of the other, only to nearly tip over to the ground. He stopped himself from falling as he placed the other foot on the ground and stood.
'Well, looks like I can stand.'
James then looked around and saw Daniel with his sword as he saw it glow. The teen moved the sword behind his back as he was swung it with all his might. After the move motion was finished, a white shining slash made it way to James. The swordsman looked at the slash as he saw it tearing through the ground, coming near him.
'Shit, gotta move, gotta move!'
Still suffering heavily from the concussion, James willed his body to jump to the side just at the nick of time, as he looked at his jacket and saw that the end of it was cut from the slash.
'That attack…would have killed me…with no effort at all.'
James looked at his friend as he saw him making another slash like before, making more and more of the projectile based cuts.
'No!' James thought as he jumped away and ran from the slices. He dodged them as best as he could, but during this time he wasn't able to see where Daniel went.
'Wait, where-'
Shwift
A sound caught James as he felt a cold feeling from his back. He turned his head slowly to see that Daniel was there, with the tip of his sword in blood.
'Oh…no.'
Blood shot out of James back as he almost fell to his knees, only to be caught by Daniel, who grabbed the back of his hood. He pulled o James in front of him, allowing James to see his face clearly. What James saw was a face that he thought he would never thought he would see on Daniel.
Daniel, who always showed a face of collectedness and calm, now had a wild, animal like smile as his eyes looked at James as if he was nothing but a prey that was to be devoured by a predator. His expressing was no longer that of a friend, but that of a demon in human skin.
'Daniel…no.'
The teen raised his sword and looked at James with pure malice
"…die…"
The sword came down and slashed body, going through his left shoulder and cutting near his heart. The green eye warrior coughed up blood as he fell to his knee and let out a raspy breath.
The battle was over…James has lost.
Back in the gathering room, the fighters all went in to a uproar. Master hand looked at them while scratching his index finger with his thumb.
"What is it? You saw it, James lost. So why are you complaining."
"WHY?" August said as she looked at him with a glare. "Because something is wrong that's why!"
"August is right." Rage said as he looked at the screen. "No way in hell would Daniel be that cruel to James. And even if he was, he wouldn't do something so…brutal."
"Really, and what make you say that?" Master hand said as he stood. "I hired him, so I know him better that you all do. This is something that is common with Daniel. He always go mad when he fights an opponent that is a challenge."
"But this even a fight, this is like a murder" Melody said as she and Noah came in the scene.
"Melody is right. I know that this tournament let us go all out, but still, this is just-"
"ENOUGH!" The hand said as he looked them. "This is my tournament, and as far as I am concerned, you rookies have no say in the matter. Now excuse me, I have a winner to announce."
Master hand was ready to leave until Rage saw something that made him stop.
"Uh, Master hand, you may want to look at this."
"Oh, now wha-"
Master hand stopped in mid-sentence as he looked at the screen as was frozen in place.
"What…what the hell?"
Back in the battle, Daniel stood in place with a surprise look as he looked at James. The block hooded swordsman, who still had the sword in him, was standing tall, looking at the ground.
Daniel tried to pull his sword out, but James right hand caught it from moving. He pulled with all his might, but the blade wouldn't come out.
"I'm surprised Daniel. I knew that you would be strong, but not this strong."
James then removed the blade from his body as he kicked Daniel away. He stepped back a bit as his breathing became a little shallow. He then placed his right hand to his wound and a green light shined a bit. Once he removed it from the spot, something that was nonthing short of a miracle happened.
His wound was healed.
'It was my fault you know. I was so worried about hurting you that I didn't took you serious enough. Well I won't make that mistake again."
James than looked at him with a serious look as he began to walk to him.
"So come on, try to hit me attack me as much as you like. Not only will I take, but I will also dish it out just as much, Daniel.
Daniel bared his teeth as he raised his sword and swung the slash at James again. As the slash came to him, James a light grin as it collided to him.
Daniel made a small smile as he looked the light from the blow. But when the light faded, his eyes was wide in terror.
James stood tall with his right hand in from, only now, the clothe that was on it was ripped, as a faint green light was shining from it.
"Daniel, let me show, the power that I will use to bring you back to your senses…"
James grabbed the cloth and tore it off, reveling what the arm really looked like.
The arm was completely black, looking to be a mix of stone and metal, having green markings on it that seem to glow and sharp claws at the tip of the fingers.
Back in the room, the others looked in surprised to see wat the arm really looked like.
"That arm, that is the same one that me and Roxanne hit when we tried to attack Joe." Lucina said as she remembered that day.
"I guess that explains why Ethan couldn't bring his arm down in the arm wrestle." Said Ally as she looked at the battle.
Ace also paid attention to the battle as she looked at the arm. 'So this is the secret that was hidden in those wraps. I wonder though, just why did he tried to hide it so much. Could it be that James wanted to keep his power a secret?'
Back within the battle, James began to walk to Daniel who charged in with his sword. His blade met, the James right hand, on for it to be deflected as he moved it away from him. James then punched Daniel in the gut hard, making the teen fall to the floor as he found it hard to breathe.
"Daniel, I don't know if you can hear me, but if you can, then give up. Because if you don't then I will knock you out."
The teen looked at him and began to make another slash, only to have a uppercut from James right hand, making him fall to the floor a few feet away.
Daniel got to his feet as he got ready to make another fatal projectile slash.
"Guess I have no choice."
James cocked his right fist back as the green markings flared like flames. The man let out a deep breath as the hand shook with power.
Master looked with shock as he couldn't understand how James was alive. He was even more shocked to see something else.
A tall image came out of James as it matched the same pose as him. The image was that of a upper portion of a humanoid creature, who had glowing green eyes and that same markings on his arm line James, except there was more similar marking on his body.
"What, what the hell is that?!"
In the battle, Daniel let loose his fatal slash as James got ready to attack.
"KNCKLE BUSTER!"
James swung his fist as the figure above followed, as the green flares shot out energy like a rocket, making James fly out in a burst of incredible speed. The beings fist hit the slash and went through it destroying it in the process. The blow then hit Daniel, who received the full effect of the punch. The teen was hit hard as James kept going forward, increasing the damage. Once he stopped, Daniels body flew to a building, making a large hole through it as dust covered the area.
The images left as James let his fist down a bit.
'I really didn't want to use that move, but it was the only thing that I can think of to counter that attack. In any case, Daniel should be really hurt now. Maybe I can try and use my arm to bring him to his senses.'
James soon ran to his friend only to stop as he felt something wrong. A strnge and powerful energy was resenating from the hole as Daniel walked out of it.
"Grrr, I will not lose." Daniel said as his eyes flared. "I am, I am..I AM GOIING TO KILL YOU!"
The teen then let out a violent scream as a violent energy surrounded him. The energy covered him as his scream became more of a roar. Once the light faded, James looked at him, only to step back as he was not ready for what he saw.
"Daniel, is…is that you?"
The figure was before was no longer Daniel, but that of something more…monstrous.
The figure was large, standing at a height of 8 feet. It had grayish black scales covering it body, making it look as if it was a large suit of living armor. It had spikes on it head that was form, almost as if it was a crown. The eyes were black, showing nothing, no reflection, and no light. It's tail was large, having a trident formation of spikes at the end of it. And it slaw and feet were sharp, enough to tear steel in half with no effort.
The crowd was in awe as Master hand laughed.
"While it is true that James was hiding a power from you, that doesn't means that Daniel wasn't as well. This form, this thing, that you see now, is that of a true legend that been around since the age of time. And out of all those who tried to access its power, Daniel was the only one to have it. This, my dear friends, is the power of the legendary dragons, the power of LEGION!"
James has thrown in his best card down the table, but so have Daniel. What is legion and what exactly can James do to defeat it without killing his friend, or better yet, can even beat it at all, since its powers are a complete mystery. Read the next chapter to find out.