Jonathan Steele vs Cecilia Lombard - Falls Count Anywhere/Cinematic Match

[CaptainL]

Cecilia had gone into survival mode. Against an opponent like the Anomaly, she had no choice - if she didn't stay keenly aware of her surroundings and be on the lookout at all times, she'd pay for it. With each passing moment she was weighing her actions, and the consequences they would have. She could go into the house and hide...but that didn't seem like it would do her any good. She didn't know how big the place was, or if she'd be able to find a hiding place in time. For all she knew, she could climb through the window and already find herself face to face with the Anomaly. And in any case, if she was inside, she'd box off her potential escape routes - and just by taking a wrong turn or two she could end up trapped with that maniac, that monster. No, that was too dangerous an idea to even consider; she sucked in a breath with a hoarse hiss as her whole body recoiled from the thought. She needed to keep climbing. She could stay away from him that way.

As Cecilia climbed up over the edge of the roof, the Anomaly burst through the window with another roar that sent goosebumps up on the back of her neck. But it was too late for him to catch up to her now, she realized with a sigh of relief. He wasn't going to try his luck when it came to climbing. She was sure that he'd be back on her case soon enough, but for now, it seemed, she'd have the chance to catch her breath, and she kneeled down a little lower, rubbing at her temples to try and recenter herself as she finally let out a sigh she was keeping penned up inside of her for too long.

As Cecilia was about to discover, she'd thought wrong. The Anomaly couldn't get up there. But the Anomaly wasn't alone.

At his command, Kanon kneeled down, touching her forehead to the snow as she muttered an incantation - her voice soft and slow, barely above a whisper. "Honorati servi suis invisibilibus eunt alis. Omnes ad eum adducentur..." When Cecilia heard her, she glanced up, taking a pause and looking off the edge of the roof. What was she doing?

She wouldn't have the chance to think about that for long - because she heard a voice just behind her.

"End of the line!"

Just then, a jolt ran through Cecilia's body, and she looked up with a gasp. There, standing right in front of her, were the Wild Jackals - Roxanne at the helm, with Saka and Miza flanking her. Was Kanon distracting her with her incantation while they scrambled up to the rooftop? Had Jonathan prepared some hidden ladder inside that would allow them to close on her so suddenly? Or...was it truly something far stranger than that?

Cecilia shook that thought out of her head, and her wide eyes narrowed as her teeth clenched into a grimace. She couldn't stop to think. They were already gaining on her, taking off toward her in a charge! Miza was first to fling herself toward Cecilia in a dropkick, and, thinking quickly, she jumped back up to her feet and grabbed at the white-clad Jackal to throw her over the edge of the roof instead. But even when Miza dropped into the snow, all she did was giggle, as though she wasn't even hurt. And in shifting her weight to the side...Cecilia had compromised her balance, as she quickly realized with a huff. She was teetering on unsteady feet by the edge of the rooftop - and her pursuers were closing in on her.

"You could be so much better than this," Roxanne growled. "Why do you keep running away? Do you think you're too good for us? Huh!? Is that it!?"

[Pegasus]

This was impossible. Had Kanon just teleported her allies to the roof? Cecelia definitely didn’t have time to mull over all of this insanity as Miza tried her luck to hit the Ice Bitch, but the peppy member of the Jackals was just sidestepped off the roof into the frozen snow. The substance broke her fall and hadn’t even fazed Miza. Even if the snow was soft enough to cushion a big impact with the ground, a normal human would’ve felt some pain in their body after falling from a big height. Cecelia looked on as her balance was giving away on her, but what would happen next would be truly terrifying. A roar sounded from inside the house as The Anomaly’s right hand bursted through part of the roof. He must’ve found an attic inside and found a weak spot to execute an opening.

The demon shoved himself on top of the roof and turned to face his opponent. The demon chuckled darkly seeing a huge advantage in numbers and Cecelia thought this would’ve just been teacher and student brawling in the cold. How wrong she was. The demon grabbed Cecelia by the throat and took her straight over the edge of the roof. He looked over at an abandoned metal carriage of hay not noticed before. The Anomaly didn’t want to see Cecelia hurt by any means unless it was his. The Anomaly lifted and chucked Cecelia off the edge of the roof straight into the carriage of hay!

[CaptainL]

Cecilia bit her lip, inching closer and closer to the edge of the roof. This was bad. Roxanne was quickly closing in on her, the fiery look on her eyes showing her intent was only to tear her to shreds - and she had nowhere to go. She was convinced she'd be able to take Marzia any time. But then, this wasn't Marzia. This was...something else. And this was no ordinary match, either. Roxanne was just one person - if she really could be called a person - she needed to watch out for. There were threats all around her; nowhere was safe. She couldn't even trust what she knew to be real, or how things were supposed to work. The Anomaly was in control, and the Anomaly had the last say about that!

As her muscles tensed up, and her fingers curled into a shaky fist, Cecilia held herself straighter, looking left and right. She might be able to push Roxanne off the ledge - if she did that, it might not slow her down all that much, but it could at least buy her some time to think her next move through. But before she could even do that...the Anomaly's fist burst straight up from below, crashing through the roof! Cecilia's jaw dropped in a gasp, and she stumbled at the edge of the rooftop, almost losing her balance. She dropped down to one knee - but she was just as quick to remember to push herself back up. It would do her no good if she left herself open, where this thing could get her!

Before Cecilia had a chance to act, however, the Anomaly had already made his move! Lunging toward her in a burst of speed, and scooping her up with unbelievable strength, he hurled her straight off the rooftop! Cecilia couldn't help but let out a scream as she went careening through the air, landing in the carriage below with the sound of a thump. Hay scattered into the air, but she quickly sat back up, frantically shaking the cobwebs out of her head. She panted for breath, still adjusting to the change in her surroundings. What she did know was that she couldn't sit around when there was danger afoot wherever she looked. She needed to get away!

Luckily, the carriage would give her the opportunity to do just that. Cecilia reached down to grab the wheels. At first, as she tugged at them as hard as she could, they wouldn't budge - they were frozen to the ground, and rusted too stiff. But she grit her teeth, pushing harder and harder. "Come...on..!" The others were coming closer, inch by inch, little by little, and she couldn't afford to wait!

At last, with one final push, the wheels started spinning - and Cecilia shoved herself off down the street! She went skidding into an alleyway somewhere down the road, and there, she let out a sigh of relief, wiping some sweat from her brow. At last, she thought, she'd lost track of her pursuers. She finally had a moment to think...

Or at least, she thought so. Just then, she felt a finger reach out and tap her shoulder - and when she looked back, Kanon was standing right behind her, her red eyes staring her down from the shadows!

Cecilia let out a gasp as she jumped up to her feet. This plan clearly didn't work! She needed to keep moving - and she ran out onto the streets, glancing back and forth to see which direction looked safe before taking off that way. She couldn't stop for even a moment. The Selection was making that quite clear!

[Pegasus]

As Cecelia would try to find her way around the abandoned town, The Anomaly along with Roxanne and Saka jumped down to the snow where the demon helped Miza back to her feet. He trudged forward leading the Jackals just behind him as they kept pursuit of their adversary. The Anomaly decided to play some more mind games and activated his voice modulator. He went right for someone that he knew drove Cecelia wild from her time in LAW alone.

“I guess you forgot that Kanon could teleport. I knew you weren’t that bright,” The voice of Ducky Williams, one of the first rivals for Cecelia, spoke through the demon. “You don’t see it yet, do you, Cecelia? You want control. However, you realize you don’t have it. You never thought he could outsmart you. You never thought he held every answer to your moves. You never thought you would face an intimidating immortal being. This is where you were wrong, Cecelia. THERE IS NO CONTROL FOR YOU HERE! IN HIS REALM!”

The Anomaly walked past Kanon and dumped another patch of black smoke to conceal her. This time, she would reappear in her natural ring gear. She was still technically the guest referee for this match, but who said she had to stay on the sidelines forever? He had the Jackals cut off every corner of escape for Cecelia. The Anomaly pointed a shaky finger at his opponent.

“ATTACK!”

[CaptainL]

Every time Cecilia looked back over her shoulder, she could see that the members of the Selection were hot on her trail. She'd tried to throw them off, swerving around a few corners, weaving between streets and alleys, and ducking behind obstacles, but no matter what she tried, every time she looked back, there they were, keeping the pace. In fact, for a moment, she couldn't help but swear they were closer each time she checked. No, no - she quickly shook that thought out of her head. That just wasn't possible; it must have been her mind playing tricks on her through all the stress and anxiety...or at least, she hoped it was. Nevertheless, she clenched her teeth, lowering her head to put her focus into her sprint for safety. But as much as Cecilia tried to focus...one thing would snap her out of it.

Suddenly, she heard the voice of Ducky Williams coming from behind her, and as it reached her ears, she skidded to a stop, her eyes going wide in terror. It was a voice she hadn't heard in some time now, but a voice she couldn't forget. Ducky had been her opponent for her first match in LAW, and it was there that she'd served Cecilia her first defeat in LAW, a loss that she could never forgive herself for. She'd fought through the 2019 Last Woman Standing Tournament in the pursuit of conquering it all, looking to prove that she was as unstoppable as she'd hoped to be, but at the end, it was Ducky who followed her to the final round, dealing her an even more humiliating loss. She hadn't dealt much with her since...but Cecilia could never forget that voice!

With a cold sweat beading on her brow, she looked left and right, but Ducky was nowhere to be seen. It was only when she looked behind her that she saw the Anomaly coming closer, speaking in her old rival's voice. She had seen him do this before. And yet, this paralyzed her all the same. Bringing up Ducky had struck straight to Cecilia's core, reminding her all too painfully of her past failings, and of what she yearned to build herself back up from. She was already on edge - and the flood of emotions and regrets that hit her now were enough to slow everything to a crawl. Her face grew pale, and though she sucked a gasp into her lungs, it died there; she was too tense and afraid to even exhale.

"Nngh..!" Squeezing her eyes shut, Cecilia tried shaking her head, doing her best to force these intrusions out of her thoughts. She didn't have time to deal with them now. The Anomaly was closer than ever! She tried to remind herself that this had to be a trick. He had to have some way of mimicking Ducky's voice. Kanon couldn't actually teleport. And yet...she didn't know if she could even trust what she knew to be real any more. Nothing made sense. The only thing that did was what that voice had told her - that the Anomaly was in control.

Just then, she looked up to see Kanon emerge from the puff of black smoke, changed into her ring attire. Cecilia let out a gasp - not from the fact that she'd changed so suddenly; that was par for the course now; but from how she had now been brought fully into the fray. Cecilia would never have expected Jonathan to pretend that his chief disciple would rule anywhere other than in his favor - but she at least didn't expect her to take the fight to her so quickly!

"As you command, my Father," Kanon muttered, narrowing her eyes on Cecilia. There, she took off. As Cecilia saw her closing in fast, she grit her teeth, reminding herself one last time that every second counted - that she couldn't take her eyes off the action! She had to strike back now, to retake some ground - not only to keep up her flagging momentum, but just to prove she could!

Just before Kanon was about to strike, Cecilia reached out and grabbed her, the two entering a test of strength! Teeth clenched and muscles bulged as they pushed up against one another, struggling for the top position as palm pressed into palm and shoulder ground into shoulder - but although they wavered back and forth as the balance teetered on an ever so delicate thread, they were evenly matched; any progress one made was just as quickly taken back by the other. Cecilia would be the one to force things to break - she spun herself around in an arc, slamming Kanon's back into the wall of a building behind her. But though she landed with a thud, the sorceress simply ducked down, rolling through Cecilia's legs to get behind her - and there she popped up to swing her over her head, causing her to crash down once again with a German suplex!

[Pegasus]

It had to be clear by now to everyone-whether those present in the moment or those watching the action unfold back in Japan-that The Anomaly didn’t have to lift a finger to wrestle. He had his disciples do his dirty work for him and Kanon was just as eager to put Cecelia in her place. The Anomaly could probably have had this match done in five minutes, but who doesn’t love a challenge? The Anomaly stalked closer grabbing Cecelia up by her coat trying to slip his right hand into her mouth. He was going to try to put away Cecelia for good with his Mandible Claw finisher! This was what was use to defeat Selket and now, Cecelia would suffer just the same!

[CaptainL]

Cecilia knew this wasn't fair. She was sure she could've taken on Jonathan, or Kanon, or Marzia, or any of them on her own, in the ring, in a match where she knew what was and wasn't supposed to happen. But when there were so many opponents all coming at her at once, it was sensory overload. She couldn't focus on one foe long enough to take control before another swooped in to back them up - and every time a new combatant entered the fray, it was one more moving part for Cecilia to have to keep track of, once again forcing her to reassess the situation. And even that was easier said than done, when the rules not just of the contest but of reality itself seemed to be subject only to the Anomaly's whim! She was confident she'd never believe human beings could teleport, up until the Jackals suddenly appeared behind her. Now, the Anomaly could tell her anything, and she'd probably believe it for at least a second. This was the Anomaly's world, and Cecilia could hardly understand its rules. It would be hard enough to keep track of where she was when she was forced to fight in an abandoned town she'd never seen before, where she didn't know what was around each corner - but not even what she knew about life itself could help her. Cecilia thought that her pragmatic approach to fighting, using any opportunity and advantage she could to strive for success, would help her no matter the situation...but if there was ever a situation where she couldn't prepare for, this was it.

She had tried to take advantage of the lockup she and Kanon had been forced into, hurling the albino girl's back against the wall - but Kanon just as easily slipped behind her, looping her arms around her waist and catapuling her head-first into the snow! Cecilia landed with a thud, her hips and back bucking into the air as a shockwave ran through her system. But as sore as she was, she knew she couldn't stop here. The Selection was all around her, closing in for the kill. She had to be ready for them. She had to be ready for anything! She didn't have time to stop and slow down! It might have hurt now, but it would hurt a lot more if she didn't take back control!

Tucking in her head, Cecilia rolled further back, trying to get some more distance between herself and Kanon before she made her next move. She climbed back to her feet, shaking herself out and panting for breath. Kanon turned and locked her eyes on her, and a moment later she was off, charging for Cecilia with her arm drawn back to deliver a chop across her throat. But Cecilia was ready. As her chop drew near, she ducked backward, leaning back to let the blow pass overhead - and she grabbed for Kanon's wrist, taking control of her arm and yanking it around her back before throwing her other arm around her head with a crossface chickenwing! Cecilia's heart was still racing, and she was still panting for breath. She knew she couldn't expect anything, but at least now, she felt like she was going somewhere!

At least, she thought she was.

As the Anomaly was quick to remind her, Cecilia was by no means in the clear. She would receive cold, hard proof of that - as she was suddenly grabbed from behind, yanked closer to the Anomaly's chest! She let out a gasp, and her eyes went wide in shock. Cecilia was forced to let go of Kanon in the process, but even as the albino was set free, she simply turned around to face the Anomaly, her head lowered in a slight nod toward him - or perhaps a bow? Either way, she was going to let her father take care of this. Which he soon would, as he grabbed Cecilia by the jaw and shoved his fingers into her mouth, clawing at her jaw!

"M-MMFF..!! Mmfff-!!" As a wave of pain shot through Cecilia, she began to writhe back and forth, struggling with all her might to worm free of the Anomaly's embrace. Her eyes had begun to water from the pain, but what was far worse was the knowledge that the Anomaly had her at his mercy - and though she couldn't begin to imagine what he might do with her next, she was sure it wouldn't be pleasant. Gasping and groaning, she threw her elbow back behind her, hoping to score a blow against him. But all the same, when she fought to pull away from his grip, the back-and-forth shaking of her head looked just as much like a desperate plea for mercy as it did any attempt at resistance.

[Pegasus]

The Anomaly planted his victim in the snow and held onto the Mandible Claw hoping Cecelia would pass out in order to secure a win. Had this happened, Cecelia would own up to her end of their bargain. She made the challenge and she made the stipulation that she would be theirs if she lost. The Anomaly had plans for her and they wouldn’t be pleasant if she decided to rally against him. However, for as troubled and desperate Cecelia looked, she still had the fight to still go against him. An elbow struck the demon as a low grunt made him release the hold. Even if he was immune to pain, force still worked against him and he could be shoved off.

The Anomaly turned back and slowly stalked Cecelia growling low as he stared daggers into her soul. She wanted to play hard ball and it looks like he was going to have to up his game. The Anomaly grabbed Cecelia by her jacket and saw the general store in front of them. The dark green building was once a quiet little shop filled with medicine, sweets, clothes, and had a small bakery where pastries were made daily. Now, it was abandoned and the glass display window was hardly in working condition sporting open holes into the dark lobby. The perfect opening! The Anomaly ran forth and tried to launch Cecelia through the glass window!

[CaptainL]

For a moment, as she felt the Anomaly worm his fingers into her mouth, when she felt the pressure come down around her jaw, Cecilia could feel an icy chill run over her from her head to her toes. She could feel something drop in the pit of her stomach. This was it, she thought. This was what it felt to truly be in the grasp of despair - to know that there was no hope; that for how valiantly she had fought, she was up against a foe that was simply too grand and too terrible to surpass. She was outmatched and outwitted. She always wanted to stand strong; she never wanted to find herself backed into a corner. But now, there was no escape.

Or so she thought. Just a moment later, she shuddered, shaking the thoughts out of her head as best she could when she was still restrained. What was she thinking?! She knew she was better than this! She couldn't give up now. She could sense, on some level - whether it was from how he had taunted her, or just the sickly aura of wrong that surrounded him - that she was dealing with a creature that fed on fear. He wanted her to be afraid, and to feel helpless. Cecilia had sworn she would never be that way again. The thought of surrender, of shrinking back into herself, was even more repulsive than the thought of defeat itself. She couldn't let the Anomaly get what he wanted. And with that spurring her to action, she threw an elbow behind her - and struck her pursuer in the ribs!

When the Anomaly went stumbling back, his grip on Cecilia slipping in the process, it almost seemed too good to be true. She panted for breath, and her eyes were wide; she glanced back and forth as she was let loose, as though trying to convince herself that what she'd just witnessed had been real. But as it set in that, yes, this was real, Cecilia stood a little taller, her muscles firming up as she was grasped with a wave of confidence! If she could escape from the Anomaly like this, then maybe all was not lost after all. Maybe she could do this!

She turned back around to face her foe - and yet, even when Cecilia had thrown a wrench into his plans; even when she'd managed to make her escape, it didn't seem to slow the Anomaly down at all. He stared back into her eyes with pure malice, and the longer Cecilia lingered on his gaze, the more the smile on her face began to fade, and her muscles grew slack. Her jaw dropped open in a gape. She might have thought she had made a victory - but nothing she did seemed to slow the Anomaly down even a moment! And the next thing she knew, he had grabbed her. Before Cecilia even realized what was happening to her, she found herself hurled through the air, propelled with terrible strength!

She crashed through the window of the store, the sound of shattering glass filling the air as she slammed through it. Panting and groaning, Cecilia rolled up onto her knees amidst a heap of broken glass. She hissed through her teeth - she was trickling blood from more tiny little cuts than she was willing to count, and she still felt the dull ache wherever those cuts were, grabbing at her arm to try and dull the pain. The chill air billowing in from the now-open window sent a shiver down her spine. But what was worse, she knew she would need the time to catch her breath - and the Anomaly wasn't going to afford that to her. For now, though, he was out of sight. How long that would be, Cecilia couldn't say...but she didn't want to think about that. If there was any time she had to recover, this would be it.

Rolling behind the counter of the store, Cecilia pushed herself up into he corner. She was huddled up beneath its surface, breathing slowly and steadily to keep herself as quiet as possible, with her knees hugged to her chest. She couldn't believe she was actually running and hiding like this - like a coward. But it was all she had.

[Pegasus]

Cecelia could run and escape all she liked. That just made the chase more savory for the demon and his followers. He liked that his former student was showing her fear to him and it made him chuckle with every bit of power it afforded him. Escaping from the Mandible Claw was a meer setback. He hurled Cecelia forward letting her prone and cold body crash through the broken glass window letting her body absorb as much damage as it could. With that, the demon had her out of sight and now, he was going to find her to make her suffer more.

He shook his left hand pointing towards the general store urging his followers forward as they were closing in on a sweet victory and a potential new student to do with as they pleased. The Anomaly quickly disposed of the entrance to the store roaring loudly as if to alert Cecelia that he was inside. He whacked the high shelves down as products went flying to the floor and he ordered Roxanne to sniff out Cecelia.