Post by Shun Lei on Mar 1, 2018 18:53:24 GMT -5
Did you enjoy my demonstration, Combat Wrestling? Did you enjoy watching Shun work? I know I did. And apparently, so did the powers that be, because they have seen fit to array him against Kyle Frye one more time. It's actually somewhat amusing. They've given him backup, too, in the form of the biggest man on the roster. You think size will save you? Shun Lei makes no difference between a giant and a man. All fall just as easily beneath his assault. It's the nature of his being. The great equalizer...much like death.
All are equal in death. And all are equal before Shun Lei.
Kyle, Kyle...why would you agree to face him again? Have you truly deluded yourself into believing that you've a chance at him, that it was a mere fluke that separated your head from your shoulders when last we met? I am all too happy to correct that misapprehension. You were outclassed by a superior warrior. This is no disgrace. Few have matched his skills, no matter where or when they clashed with him. You are simply one more who have tried your hand at conquering his fury and failed.
You join a shorter list of those who have tried more than once, though, and for that I do commend you. It takes supreme courage to brave his onslaught a second time. I would say supreme arrogance, but you do not strike me as an arrogant man. You are a simple man, of simple origins and simple motives. A man of the land. I believe the phrase is "the common clay of the new West." And truly, you do drape yourself in the imagery of the frontier. It is your life, it is your way. But know that your way is dying, and it is dying for a reason: it has become obsolete. Hold to the old ways too long, and you will find yourself a relic.
Shun Lei is a being of change and adaptation. As he encounters new opponents, new styles of combat, he adopts that which will benefit him and discards the rest. He is a consummate chaser of perfection, and it is that quality which first drew him to me. He has evolved. He has become more. But both of you...both of you seem firmly rooted in the past. A shame. To see such specimens wither on the vine, supping on the dust of ages instead of the blood of the future...it is truly a crime against all that is right.
Lucas Walker. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Aurel Karolyi, and you...you disappoint me. You are an anachronism, wandering out of the wilderness like the sasquatch of legend. You tower over your opposition, you move like a man half your size, you have all the tools to conquer...and yet, you remain stuck upon antiquated concepts of right and wrong, you remain fixated on the notion of doing right by your progenitors. You owe them nothing. You have been given the gifts of life and thought, and you waste them in blind servitude to stagnation and decay. You are guilty of sin, Lucas, though not as you would see it.
You believe that you will buoy Kyle Frye to victory. You are wrong. You believe that your fortunes will be reversed at the expense of Shun Lei. You are wrong. You believe that your God has a plan for you, you believe that your Creator will save you from that which is dark and wrong in this world. You. Are. Wrong. I have seen the throne of the Lord, and it lays bare. You pray to a deaf ear, Walker, and if you do not turn away you will walk into oblivion, like so many before you.
As for Aiden Reynolds...follow Shun Lei's lead. Follow my advice. It has guided him well for years, and it will do so for years to come. You could do far worse than to take my guidance, and if you wish to be victorious you will take it. Ignore me at your own peril. Victory is never assured in battle...but with the right general, it can be all but assured. You have that choice: trust me. Trust him. Exult in glory. Or walk your own path, and fail in your hubris. I would not wish to see you walk astray.
As the stages grow, so do the wars. As the wars grow, so does the violence. As the violence grows, so does the glory. And the glory will be mine. The victory will be mine. And in the wake of this victory...learn. Learn and be more. Perhaps you will challenge him some day. Perhaps you will be his match some day. But that day is not today.
In your blood, a contract will be inked. A promise of future slaughter, a promise that the ropes and ring will not be a prison forevermore. I hope you are watching, Spike Kane. I hope you are watching as we sacrifice these men of the past to the future of your Combat. And I hope you are pleased with this offering, as I hope you will be pleased with the offerings that come after it. For war never truly ends, and blood will always be spilt in the name of triumph and tragedy...and each drop is a prayer to a God, a God who demands neverending tribute.
I am all too happy to oblige, my lord.