Cassius became enveloped inside of his mind, wondering what the stain on his life would mean.
"Where will this lead me? Is it really getting me closer to figuring out what happened to my blood-family? Do I have to kill more to find the truth?"
Cassius' resolve had changed, manifesting into a new truth for him. He decided from that moment that he would bear the burden of another's life.
"No one deserves to die, but necessary burdens are just that. Necessary."
Cassius' logical side had became the more prominent one from this unique situation. His emotions caused him to hurt from coming to terms with this side, but he had managed to convince himself he could handle it.
More death came about from the tournament. Cassius continued to ignore every fight, while Garth watched every fight since everyone still in the tournament had the chance to watch him fight. Battle after battle, death after death, cheers shook the colosseum all throughout. At the end of the second bout, the numbers left were 23, 7, 22, 14, 10, and now 24 and 20 were about to fight to see who goes into the quarter finals.
Garth and number 20, face to face on the stage, with Garth examining 20 and trying to figure out his power. 20 did not seem bothered in the slightest, glowing with confidence that made Garth even more excited to beat his opponent.
"LET'S SEE A GRUESOME BATTLE! BEGIN!"
Garth decided to not start on the offense, taking on a similar fighting style as Cassius; using his brain instead of pure force. Both participants stood in front of one another, neither moving from their positions. Number 20 looked around the colosseum, his eyes not even on Garth. Was this a feint? Did he really have no concern of Garth to the point he didn't even need to keep his eyes fixated on his opponent? Garth was impressed with himself for how rational his brain had seemed.
"Maybe sparring with Cassius all those years was fruitful in more than one way. I still can't gauge this guy though. How does he fight when he won't even look at the fight?"
Garth had hit a stumbling block. Being passive was not the answer, and so he took the initiative. He landed a diving kick into 20's gut, pushing into his abdomen before being shot out. As Garth went to land on his feet from the knockback, he felt a foot crash into his stomach. His hands reached to grab the attack, but there was nothing there. Nothing was around him, and nothing had traveled from 20 to him. It was almost as if the attack happened from within his own body.
"I felt a kick land on me shortly after I kicked that guy. What exactly is he doing?"
Garth decided to test an idea he had. He pinched number 20 in multiple places throughout his body, pinching his right ear, right calf, left forearm, and left side. He made sure to do this at such a speed that most could not keep up, so that he could confirm if it was a copy of his own attacks or attempts at copying his attacks. To the spectators, it was as if Garth hadn't even moved, only seen slight blurs around his body.
Within a second after pinching number 20, Garth had felt pinches in the same spots on his body with the same force he used. He then had his answer, number 20 had the ability to reflect attacks back onto his opponents.
Cassius was watching this fight unfold and became impressed with Garth's choices. He had never seen his brother fight without using his full, raw strength. To put so much effort into using his mind had showed Cassius that Garth had applied to himself strength beyond the physical realm.
"How can I defeat an opponent that attacks won't work on," Garth had began to plan around the information he learned.
"Does he even feel pain? Are all physical hits ineffective?"
Garth decided to try something more drastic. He walked up to number 20, grabbed his left index finger, and ripped it off. Number 20's eyes stopped peering around the colosseum as he wailed in pain and held his injured hand. The wound almost immediately healed, but his finger remained gone. The painful screams had stopped from 20, and then blood had started to burst out of Garth's left hand where his index finger was supposed to be. It had fallen to the ground, as if it was ripped off by a ghost. Garth did not sense anything until his finger had been ripped from him. Handling the pain, Garth did not belt out like number 20 had. Looking directly at Garth, number 20 had began to showcase fear. His face had gotten much paler, and he started to stand in a defensive stance.
"What is he guarding? Won't it just heal," Garth had wondered to himself.
He then looked at his hand and saw his finger did not regenerate.
"His finger didn't come back? So his power doesn't have regeneration, just placing the pain onto his opponent? Is he afraid I'll take his arm next?"
Garth's eyes started to dart around number 20, examining his body language and his face.
"No, he's not worried about his limbs."
Garth dashed at number 20 with incredible speed, forming his right hand's fingers and thumb into a single point like a spear. Before 20 could even see that Garth had moved from his position, Garth had pierced his opponent's head and gotten his hand in the middle of their brain. Garth instantly expanded his fingers with immense force and then ripped his hand out. Number 20's brain was crushed and ripped apart. He fell to the ground, and Garth embraced the possible consequences.
A few seconds later, nothing had happened to Garth. He looked down at the lifeless body of number 20, and he realized he had completely won.
"NUMBER 24 IS VICTORIOUS! WHAT DID HE DO TO NUMBER 20'S HEAD!? HOW DID HE GET PAST THE POWER OF THE ARTIFACT!?"
Guards came and took Garth back to his waiting room, and took the body of number 20 away. The stadium started to erupt from hysterical cheering. It rivaled that from Cassius' last fight.
"WHAT IS THIS GUY, A ZOMBIE!? HE KEEPS GOING FOR THE HEAD! I THINK WE'RE ALL EXCITED TO SEE THE FIGHT BETWEEN CIRMSON DEATH AND NUMBER 24," the noble was speaking from a place of pure joy.
"WE HAVE THE QUARTER FINALS COMING UP NEXT! AFTER THESE FIGHTS, THE CROWD WILL VOTE FOR SOMEONE TO SKIP AHEAD TO THE FINALS, WHILE THE OTHER 2 WILL BATTLE IT OUT IN THE SEMI-FINALS! TO START THE QUARTER FINALS, CRIMSON DEATH AND NUMBER 7!"
Cassius' eyes seemed blank as he walked to the stage. He understood he could not help these people at this moment, that it was just a run of bad luck for them. When he and his opponent were face-to-face on the stage, Cassius bowed to them and then got into his stance. Despite the terrible situation, he did not feel any hatred or anger towards the people he had to fight. He did not know if they understood what the tournament actually was not, and so the only negative emotion he felt towards the people he fought was pity. Cassius felt immense pain for them losing their lives, but he would not yield in his resolve.
Number 7 gave no sign of confidence, seeming to hold an abundance of fear. He kept muttering to himself as his whole body shook.
"This guy made it to the quarter finals," Cassius thought to himself.
"He must be hiding something. Either way, I'll give him a merciful death."
As the words to start the fight rang out from the noble, Cassius was immediately beside number 7. He sent his fist hurdling towards the side of 7's head, fully intending to finish the fight in one blow. Number 7 ducked, swept Cassius' feet from the ground, and used the momentum from the sweep to sling his other leg around to kick Cassius as he fell.
Cassius saw number 7's face and body language had completely changed. Fear was replaced with anger, and his body had stopped trembling. Cassius used the force from the leg sweep and his core to swing his legs around and block 7's second kick, planting his foot onto the stage and taking the force from the kick into his shin. What stung for a moment was better to Cassius than not leaving opportunity for more defense or another attack.
Turning off his planted foot, Cassius threw an overhead punch towards number 7's body that was close to the stage. Number 7 pushed himself away with his hands, sending himself 10 feet away from Cassius horizontally.
"His reaction time is amazing. What was he so scared of? Does he hate hurting people? Scared he'll die when he can move like that? This opponent is nothing short of serious and lacking in pride."
Cassius realized his idea of being able to make it to Garth in the final was a prideful error. He may not even make it that far. The opponent before him was leagues above number 1, and was causing Cassius to feel his pride come crashing down. He had not been humbled in such a way since he was 7 years old.
"Number 7... You've helped me to see something important. Win or lose, I thank you," Cassius had developed a deep respect for his opponent.
At this moment the only things on Cassius' mind were fighting number 7 and a deep sense of gratitude for him.