Reflections // Triumph: vs. Jonah Aspergwall

Congratulations, Kasey Kash. Nothing less I can say there, at the end of it all, he did what he had to do, he reached the final step of the road of conquest, all that stands before him now is the top of the mountain, the looming shadow of Christopher Sabertooth cast over him, and now we will all see if Kasey Kash will ascend, take that final step, and gain everything this world has to offer… Or if his redemption ends right then and there, another casualty of Sabertooth, another idealistic dream burned by the fires of Salvation.

While Kasey now looks to the top of the mountain, I have little else to look at aside from myself in the mirror. Second place isn't good enough, I know that myself. I am not the kind of man that can be pleased with mere platitudes. I tried my best? Well of course, nothing less than that would be acceptable. I outlasted a former World Champion in Nayati? Of course, I should, if I want to be on level with Christopher in the future then I must surpass all those beneath him until there is no one left between him and myself. I look at the pile of bodies I now stand on, once again falling victim to me was Tomi Venus, I learned of the name Bianca Reed and on that same night I put that name in the dirt, Emmanuelle's pedigree couldn't keep up with mine, Maximus Steele remains where I left him in the trenches of the Prodigy division, and all else whose names are not relevant enough to even recall are just statistics - the number of men who stand no chance against Mercadier de Leon.

Yet how many stand behind me, how many are buried below me… Those numbers are irrelevant. They could be nameless, faceless for all it matters, it doesn't matter how big that pile of bodies is, how close it gets me to the Heavens… If it doesn't get me all the way there. Kasey, you surpassing me has left me with questions. What has changed? Have you come that far? Was my conviction truly my strength? Am I not strong enough without my faith? I don't know the answers to these questions yet, but I will learn over time. Kasey I must speak to you specifically when I say that I feel that you have just intertwined our paths to meet once again. It would be very easy for me to say that you are no match for Christopher Sabertooth but I must admit, I had full confidence in myself to not only win this match but defeat Chris at Standing Room Only. I believed that was my divine purpose, so if you are strong enough to defeat my destiny… Then I believe you are strong enough to defeat Christopher Sabertooth as well.

I will watch you closely, learn to see what it is exactly within you that has allowed you to go that far. But just know Kasey, that in that time, as I gain the answers to my questions, as I learn whether or not my Shattered Vow wasn't enough to end you in the Colosseum was poetic cruelty or a mere coincidence, as I grow stronger, and watch you do the same… It is then that we shall meet again, when you are at the top, when I am standing there once again before you, your shadow cast over me as it was on the day that you won the Conquest Colosseum, and when you stand there, World Champion, redeemed of all your failures, at peace with yourself in your mind, happy, successful, accomplished… THAT, Kasey, is when I will take EVERYTHING away from you… Everything that should have been MINE.

That however, is a story for the future. It is funny how the narrative has switched. Kasey begins his ascent to the heavens, and now it is I on the ground here, my wings clipped, with nothing but my own hands to begin my climb back up that mountain. Is there too much I can say about a man who wasn't even good enough to win the Prodigy Championship? Perhaps calling you a man is being generous too. You're a boy, with much to learn, yet not much of a brain to learn with. Throwing the gauntlet down is something you're good at boy, I can see that, but empty challenges lead to empty results. You will, at some point in your life, need to have something to show for yourself aside from a slew of 'good effort!'s and 'nice try!'s, our merit is our worth but merit is earned and the only way to earn your worth in this industry, in this life, is to prove your worth. So prove yourself to me Jonah. Prove yourself to the world. Prove that you can be more than another insect crushed under the boot of Mercadier de Leon. Can you? Will you? I don't think you can. I don't think you could ever measure up to me - my ability, my resolve, the things I have accomplished, and the things I have yet to accomplish. I don't see anything more than an adrenaline junkie in you yet, Jonah. I don't know what you're fighting for. "Because I have to"? But we all have to. There's no choice for anyone else. This life is a struggle, the path to the top of the wrestling world is filled with strife, the conquerors of this world cut through those too weak to stay on that path, and Jonah, I don't believe that you can carry that burden on your shoulders. Perhaps I'll do you a kindness. I won't crush you under my boot like how you deserve, perhaps I shall just clip your wings the way Kasey did mine. I will ground you, humble you, show you how much further you still have to go before you can compete with men like me. That, Jonah, will be your Salvation, come Triumph.