Ch 81:- Fight of Cursed Child Part-II

Inside the arena, two of the five fights had come to an end, and only three of the fights remained. The camera had chosen to focus on Quinn's match at this very moment. They could see that the Multiplier was trapped and thought another contestant would soon be eliminated from the competition.

When the daggers were thrown, everybody waited in anticipation to see what the Multiplier would do next and how he would dismantle his opponent, just as he had done before. What they didn't expect was the sudden revelation of a strange power that no one had ever seen before.

A sheet of purple shadow rose from Quinn's feet, surrounding him. It moved ever so slightly, and the small blades seemed to stop as soon as they touched it.

"Hey, do you know what ability that is?" a person from the crowd asked.

"No, I've never seen anyone with it before."

"I wonder what it does or how it works."

"Wait, what is Quinn doing?" Layla shouted. "Why is he showing his powers, and worse yet, right now in front of everyone?"

Sam examined the strange power carefully. He had expected Quinn to be hiding something, and he was sure he was the Blood Evolver, but this was something entirely new. Even if it was a new skill, there was a clear distinction from what he had seen before. The Blood Evolver's powers emitted a red aura, while this was purple and dark; it felt different.

"I assume you have something to do with this?" Logan said, looking at Vorden, who hadn't seemed as surprised as the others.

"He's tired of hiding," Vorden replied. "I can feel it, and I think you guys can too. Sooner or later, this was bound to happen, so he might as well do it now."

"But won't people come after him when they learn about his background?" Layla asked. "He was an orphan, and the military knew he had no ability before. Others will try to ask for the ability book or find out how he learned this."

"Don't worry, he gave the ability book to my family for safekeeping, and he'll say my family is looking after him," Vorden assured.

"And which original family do you come from?" Sam inquired. If Vorden was willing to use his family's name to protect a rare ability, they had to be powerful. Sam was knowledgeable about many factions and families, but the Blades didn't ring a bell. Still, being an original family should provide some protection.

As abilities became more known worldwide, original families were often targeted, leading to their abilities being learned and stolen. Only the most powerful abilities remained concealed. If Vorden's family was still considered original, they must have had influence.

Quinn opened a part of the shadow from the front, allowing the small blades to move again. He blocked them with his gauntlets, then moved away from where the shadow was originally placed, causing the blades to miss and fall off the arena.

[94/100 MC cells]

The small blades were only at the basic tier level, which explained Quinn's ability to block them with a thin layer of shadow. The damage they inflicted was minimal.

In front of everyone's eyes on the stage and in the booth, Quinn disappeared entirely. While some could sense his presence, to the crowd, he was invisible. Multiplier struggled to pinpoint Quinn's exact location. Quinn's speed was remarkable. He disabled the shadow cloak to deliver a punch to Multiplier's head, creating a puff of black smoke.

Seeing another opponent nearby, Quinn used the flash step, positioning himself for the next attack. He performed an uppercut, creating another cloud of smoke. He sensed footsteps approaching from behind, spun, and executed a spinning back kick, sending Multiplier flying off the arena.

The other fights around them were now ignored; each puff of black smoke brought cheers from the crowd. It was as if they were watching a skilled fighter take on multiple opponents at once.

As one person approached Quinn from the front, another came from behind, both wielding daggers. Quinn grabbed the first attacker's wrist, but the second continued the assault.

"Is he done for?" the crowd wondered.

Unbeknownst to Quinn, Multiplier could switch his real body with any of the clones he created at any time. Multiplier had yet to come close to Quinn.

Quinn faced another problem: his MC points would run out eventually. The weapon Multiplier used was formidable, and Quinn could only block so many more attacks. If he got hit, his Blood bank might activate, raising questions about his abilities.

"Well, this match has certainly become interesting," Owen said, amused.

"I knew you wouldn't play fair," Burnie accused. "Did you know he had an ability all along?"

"I knew no such thing; how would I know something Oscar didn't?" Owen replied.

Burnie turned to Oscar, wondering how Owen had come to know about Quinn's powers.

"I think this makes the whole thing a lot more interesting," Mona chimed in. "It would have been boring otherwise. Besides, a bet is a bet. Even if you did know he had an ability, the Multiplier is one of the strongest competitors in this tournament. With the Cursed Child's power, I wonder what level his ability is at."

"It's hard to judge," Owen replied. "The ability doesn't seem to have many attacking opportunities. If the user wasn't skilled in hand-to-hand combat, this fight might already be over. But the ability appears versatile. It cloaked him and can be moved like an elemental power. I have a feeling we haven't seen everything yet."

Back on the platform, Quinn returned to the center, surprising others as it allowed him to be surrounded. Quinn knew he needed to be the aggressor to win this fight. Standing near the outer edge could knock him off the stage, but it provided better options.

As Quinn reached the center, all the clones threw their daggers, and Quinn repeated his shadow-lifting move to block the attacks.

"I can do this all day, come on!" Quinn shouted, challenging the Multiplier to try something new.

All the clones switched to daggers.

"Oh, do you think you've won?" the Multiplier spoke. Each clone spoke simultaneously, creating a louder, choir-like voice. "You see, I like to toy with my opponents, sometimes making them feel like they're winning. I started with two for some matches, four for others, and now, six. But that wasn't enough."

From behind the six original clones, another six emerged, making a total of twelve clones – a first in the tournament.

"Let's see how you deal with this!" the Multiplier said as all twelve clones charged toward the center.

"Perfect," Quinn said.

[Shadow void]

A thick purple shadow spread from Quinn's feet across the floor, creating a dome that encased Quinn and all the clones. From the outside, the crowd couldn't see anything but a moving purple shadow dome.

"What's going on?" the crowd murmured.

"Are they still fighting in there?"

"This must be the Cursed Child's ability, right?"

"Starting to regret our bet?" Owen teased.

"I don't know what this dome does, but one person facing twelve is impressive," Burnie admitted. "I didn't even know the Multiplier could create that many clones. If he were in one of my families, it would be like having a small squad."

As time passed with no action inside the dome, even Burnie grew nervous. It shouldn't have taken this long for someone to win.

Finally, the shadows began to fade, revealing one person standing and another knocked out on the floor.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have our winner: The Cursed Child!"

With the thrilling match now concluded, the day's event came to an end, and reporters began conducting interviews with all the participants. They had spoken to each contender before turning their attention to the individuals who had taken part in match five. The first interviewee was none other than the unexpected loser, Multiplier.

They sat on a bench beside the arena, with doctors tending to other participants in the background. The female reporter, microphone in hand, was joined by her trusty drone, capturing every moment for the massive screen display.

"Firstly, I must commend you on putting up quite a show today. The outcome was a shock to many, as the crowd had high expectations of your victory. Everything seemed to be in your favor until that moment when the shadowy void appeared. Can you share with us what occurred in there, or any recollections you have of that moment?" the reporter inquired.

Reliving the memory of that dark place was clearly unsettling for Multiplier, his recent loss still weighing heavily on him. "Yes, I remember what happened in there. Hands..."

"Hands?" the reporter asked, perplexed.

"Yes," Multiplier continued, "there were hands everywhere, grabbing me from all directions, rendering me immobile. These shadowy, dark hands, and that's when he delivered the final blow."

In the broadcasting booth, Jack's eyes widened, as if they were about to leap from their sockets. "What did he just say? Dark shadowy hands?"

These words triggered a memory for Jack. He recalled the time he had visited the second military base, where two students were saved by someone associated with PURE. And at that moment, a realization about Quinn struck him: "He works for PURE!"

As the pieces fell into place, Jack couldn't believe it. It was starting to make sense how PURE always seemed one step ahead of him and could anticipate his moves.

"PURE must have infiltrated the school system with a student spy, just like they rescued Peter. Quinn was their operative here," Jack thought, a determined smile crossing his face as he stood up from his seat.

Oscar questioned, "Jack, where are you going? Aren't you going to watch the remaining fights?"

Jack replied confidently, "Ah, there are some pressing matters I must attend to. Don't worry; I'll be back soon."

Jack exited the room with a sense of purpose, heading back to his quarters. There were important decisions to be made, especially now that he knew Quinn was involved with PURE. He coveted both PURE's secrets and the enigmatic shadow power that Quinn possessed. Quinn held the key to fulfilling Jack's desires.

Back at the arena, the reporter had concluded her conversation with Multiplier. She now turned her attention to the star of the show, Quinn.

"First of all, congratulations on your unexpected victory. Your martial arts skills impressed everyone, especially your ability to handle the clones. But what everyone is dying to know is more about your unique ability. While our research suggests you're not from an original family, no one has ever witnessed an ability quite like yours. Can you shed some light on your ability and how you acquired it?" she inquired.

Quinn gazed at the enormous screen showing his face to the crowd, well aware of the anticipation. He thought back to Vorden's counsel and decided to reveal a portion of his story.

"As you mentioned, I don't belong to an original family. I grew up as an orphan, and my journey with this ability is quite a tale. Brace yourselves; it's a bit of a saga. Some time ago, I found myself on a deserted red portal planet during a school incident. I stumbled upon an ability book unlike any I had seen before. At that time, I lacked an ability, and this felt like a stroke of luck.

"The school eventually rescued me and returned me home, but I chose to keep my discovery a secret. This event occurred a few months ago. Learning this high-level ability took an extended period, and without a mentor or reference, I had to create my own techniques. It wasn't easy, but I persevered. I wasn't prepared to reveal it; being an orphan with no family or faction for protection, it felt like the right decision.

"However, today, a dear friend offered me the chance to join their faction and family in exchange for the ability book. To respect their trust, I won't disclose further details about the ability or the family safeguarding it. But before I conclude this interview, I have one more thing to say."

Quinn's gaze rose to the arena's upper reaches, where his friends and Vorden were likely standing.

"If you choose to pursue me, the ancient chains that have remained locked away for centuries shall be unleashed by the Blades."

The reporter had many questions on her mind, but Quinn had already started walking away, leaving the crowd and the booth in anticipation. In the crowd, understanding dawned upon many as to why Quinn had made certain choices. However, the factions and families knew that even without revealing the protecting family's name, they would find out soon, and it would inevitably place a target on that family.

The booth, on the other hand, experienced a drastically different reaction. Quinn's final words sent shivers down the spines of the Big Three, leaving them with goosebumps, as an aura of impending change and uncertainty filled the air.