As Tate looked at Bastian, awe filled his mind to the brim.
This is it. This is the warrior I have been waiting for.
Tate was afraid of death, but he had already accepted his fate. Now his chance to fall at the hands of a warrior with incredible potential was nigh, so he wanted to take full grasp of it.
Bastian's ability to completely suppress the blind disaster, only further reinforced Tate's respect for him.
Bastian on the other hand, was quite unhappy. One could even say he was angry. He was normally the type of person who was passive and hard to anger. But a culmination of certain factors had pushed him past his limits.
First, was the fact that he had spent the past few months being tossed from one place to another against his will. His current soul was the combination of a man from earth and a young pampered noble, thus this was not a pleasant experience for him.
When he thought he finally had control over his life he was then back to where he had started a slave. In fact, this was worse, for Bastian was positive that if his bloodline had not awakened, he would undoubtedly die. Even though the awakening itself was the main reason he was taken.
Second, was the fact that he had lost out on an opportunity to gain experience in battle. Bastian had no doubt that he would have more opportunities in the future but he at least wanted to broaden his horizons as soon as possible.
Last but certainly not least, was the white haired boy. The poison in his body was the most inhumane thing Bastian had ever heard off. At first, Bastian wanted to kill the boy for stealing his experience, but after learning of the boy's circumstances, he could not help but change his mind.
These factors had put Bastian in a bad place right and he needed somewhere to vent his anger on, or someone.
"If you are not going to attack I will."
Bastian's words were like a slap to the face. This was the second time Bastian had brought Tate back to reality in a short amount of time.
"Hahaha! My apologies young warrior, I was just impressed by how incredible you are. To think you were able to-"
"Shut up! Do you want to fight or not!" shouted Bastian.
Tate saw that Bastian was not in the mood for idle chatter. With a solemn expression, he gripped his sabre with both hands and got ready to attack.
Let's see what you can do young warrior. I hope you do not disappoint me.
With a roar, Tate sprinted with his full force toward Bastian. His heavy feet thumped as they trampled on the bloody floor.
Bastian did not do anything. He merely stood there, with a scowl on his face. He neither took a stance nor did he show any signs of movement. Normally, this would make a person attacking him lower his guard because Bastian did not look as if he would defend himself. Yet for Tate, it was the complete opposite.
Bastian's nonchalance made him become more vigilant.
Tate swung his large sabre straight toward Bastian's head, only to meet air. Bastian had back stepped at the opportune time.
Without feeling discouraged, Tate continued to swing his large weapon with incredible vigor. His incredible strength allowed him to wield such a heavy weapon with ease, like a child wielding a stick.
Although Tate was impressive, from his own point of view Bastian was even more frightening. This was because the time Bastian allowed himself for dodging was becoming less and less.
Tate knew this was not because he was gaining an advantage. It was quite the opposite. Instead Bastian was catching the timing of the giant's blows, ending up with him dodging at just the right moment.
All sorts of swings and tricks came from the giant, from cuts, to sweeps, to stabs. Be they horizontal, vertical or diagonal. All motions available to Tate were used. And all were dodged with simple movements, each more precise than the last.
From side steps, to ducking, to jumping, to back stepping, all used in a rough but precise manner.
What frightened Tate the most was the fact that Bastian's movements were rough. There was barely any technique to them. It was all instinct. This gave rise to a frightening thought.
If he is this strong without technique, how strong would he be with it?
Tate quivered at the thought. He had swung countless times at Bastian, missing every time, so he could somewhat gauge what he was dealing with or rather he thought he could.
From Bastian's point of view, only disappointment could be felt. He had intentionally slowed himself down, to make this fight more challenging. Limiting himself to dodging only when the sabre was about to strike.
Bastian wanted to use this as an opportunity to improve his reaction speed or rather to test its limits. To his disappointment, Tate's swings became easier to read as time went on.
In order to further increase the difficulty, Bastian would leave himself with less time to dodge each time, and after a few moments his mind and body would adjust.
As far as Bastian was concerned there was no danger. He could kill this man any time he wanted to.
Although Bastian had initially wanted to vent his anger, the dull simplicity of the fight had completely calmed him down. He started gaining back his rationale as time went on.
Although Bastian wanted to end the fight quickly, he not only needed to train, but he also needed to gain the attention of someone in the audience, thus he started using this time to showcase his unique skills.
If only Bastian had known that he already had an owner.
...
"Hahahaha! The heavens are finally smiling upon me!"
In their private booth Kai and his Master were observing Bastian make a fool out of Tate. Or rather the young man was.
Kai knew that the truly incredible feat was not how the purple haired boy was toying with Tate but how he had suppressed and resisted the blind disaster.
How is he alive? How did he do it?
Kai wracked his brains trying to think of an answer, yet nothing could come up. Kai knew well enough what the blind disaster was capable off. Thus he knew that the implications of such a matter would not be small.
Kai reached into the pockets of his robes, and pulled out a piece of paper with some writing on it.
It was proof of their ownership over the purple haired boy. Kai looked at the piece of paper that had cost them quite a few gold coins. He now knew that it was worth far more than this.
Although his Master was thrilled, whenever he looked at the paper, Kai could not help but have a foreboding feeling in his heart.
...
Within the many booths that were observing the fight there were plenty of rich people, each with their own servants.
The majority had merely come to observe for leisure, while some had come for the same reason Kai and his Master had. To purchase a fighter!
Tate and Yahd had been the main attraction as far as this match was concerned. Yet now an unthinkable scene was occurring.
Yahd was dead, the blind disaster had been suppressed with a few strikes, and Tate was being toyed with by a purple haired boy who looked no older than 15!
Many of the observers, especially those who had come prepared to purchase fighters, were salivating at the prospect of owning the purple haired boy.
A lot of people, who had only come to observe, could not help but be tempted. It was clear that the purple haired boy was untrained. Yet he was able to make a veteran look useless.
He was neither running around, nor was he defending himself with a weapon. He was using his instinct to dodge strikes by a hair's breath. Such an action was utterly breath taking.
Many Masters immediately ordered their slaves to go to the owners of the arena, in the hope that they could purchase the purple haired boy.
Yet they all got the same response. A response that made them smack their lips in jealousy.
He already had an owner!
Of course everyone was curious as to who had been lucky enough to purchase such a diamond in the rough. Yet when they all learned who had bought the purple haired boy, especially the fact that he had been bought on that day, angry shouts and insults rampaged in countless booths.
"How? Why him?"
"The heavens do not have eyes! This is a travesty!"
"I will not allow that brat to take such an incredible specimen!"
"Hahahaha, that kid is very lucky, but his luck can turn his misfortune if he is not careful."
...
After hundreds of swings, Tate started to feel tired. Sweat was covering the entire top half of his body, and his muscles were aching.
Bastian on the other hand looked no different from when the fight started. It was as if he had not been fighting at all.
This difference in ability between the two had made Tate depressed. At first he was happy that he had found a warrior who was strong enough to meet his standards, and have a final glorious battle.
Yet not only had his standards been met, they had been surpassed. Breathing heavily, Tate stopped his mad rush in an attempt to catch his breath.
Bastian was only a few feet away from the giant, but he made no attempt to take advantage of Tate's situation. Instead he crossed his arms and spoke words that hurt Tate far more than any weapon had ever had.
"Are you done?"
...Bastian was getting bored. His attempt at improving his reaction speed was becoming more and more pointless as time went on, because Tate's swings became slower and easier to predict.This was not only because the giant was tiring, but also because Bastian's eyes were adjusting. Thus when Bastian saw that Tate had stopped, he decided to put an end to this farce.Bastian's mind had finally returned to what could be said to be a good place but he was still not his usual self.Be it Bastian from Earth or Sebastian from the Sovereign Continent, both were very calm and hard to anger. They were very passive in terms of emotions and would never get enraged in the truest sense of the word.Now that the two personas had fused, they had changed each other. Bastian had come out on top over his far younger companion. Thus, it was more accurate to say that Bastian had devoured Sebastian. Either way, the new Bastian was different from both of his former pers
.....As soon as Bastian had finished his words, the light in Tate's eyes had dimmed. Bastian let go of the giant, allowing the body to fall lifelessly to the ground.Bastian walked away from the corpse and looked at his bloody hands.Nope. Don't feel anything.Bastian had thought that perhaps after taking his first human life, he would feel something. But the opposite occurred. He felt nothing.Meh, it's actually a good thing. This will make my life easier. Speaking of my life, why did the giant know I was strong?Never mind that, he's already dead. I have bigger fish to fry.Bastian looked at the unconscious white haired boy. He truly pitied him and wanted to assist him. After a few moments, an opening suddenly appeared by the wall, with armored guards walking out....Bastian was told to carry the white haired boy out of the arena as they were being led to their cells. Bastian was surprised to learn that he and the wh
Kai and his Master were being led by guards through a passage, one that lead to the cells where the slaves were kept."Young master, I understand you're very happy with what has just happened, but please keep in mind that we should leave this building as soon as possible", said Kai with a grim look on his face."You have been rushing me this whole time, and yet you refuse to tell me why. You know I don't like being rushed Kai, especially during a meal", said the young man in a matter of fact tone as he walked.I thought blood and gore sickened you, yet you immediately demanded a meal after the fight.Kai shook his head as he realized he knew less about his Master than he had thought."Either way young master, we shouldn't dally here. I have important duties to which I must attend to at home", said Kai.The young man stopped and looked at Kai, disbelief plastered on his face."What duties?""They are duties that are too menial t
...In the beautiful sky, far, far away from the Sovereign continent, in an area that is not accessible by ordinary means, stood an immense structure floating in the sky.It was a large golden city. Different kinds of buildings, from large to small, covered most of its surface. They were all unique in some way. Be it in shape, size and position. Yet they all had something in common, gold.All of the structures were golden, shining brilliantly in a manner that made it hard to dislike. The entire city, from top to bottom, was covered in those golden buildings, making the entire city shine, its splendor made it look like it was made by the caring hands of deities. Or rather to be more accurate, it was.The city had many floating structures above it, giving one the impression that the city was divided into levels. Judging from the outer appearance, one could even say that the higher one went, the sites were more lavish and the surroundings looked more imposing.At the highest level of the
...Minister Sky was a simple man. He had little ambition and was very comfortable with his life. Having a position in the imperial court, one could even say he was high ranking. Well at least compared to most.Amongst his colleagues, he was quite pitiful. He was usually mocked and scorned. Due to his low rank and his simple way of doing things, he did not mind. He was quite happy with living out his days the way they were.This was Coiling Dragon City, a monolith that controlled countless lands. It was run by the imperial court, which was composed of Ministers.These Ministers each had a role to play in the running of the city. Minister Sky's role was sanitation. It was his role to make sure that the city was clean.The citizens of the city were not ordinary beings. They were all special, and were naturally clean. In other words Minister Sky and his department had little to do. Which is why no faction desired him to be replaced even though he is lazy and simple minded.The court was
Of all the people I had to meet, under these circumstances, it had to be him.Even though he had a smile on his face, his heart was in turmoil. It was a necessary façade; he couldn't let the pain get the best of him."Come let us go! Its fate that you are here as well"Before Sky could react, Li had grabbed Sky's hand and was headed straight for the Ambevilius.Wait what is he doing!?Sky started panicking; he wanted to avoid being involved with Li, at any cost. But his nature made him unable to act. He did not like Minister Li but also did not want to offend him. One could even say that Sky feared Li more than Titus himself!Due to his personal inner conflict, Sky did not notice that he was nearing Ambevilius himself. By the time he had noticed, it was too late.Ambevilius had come for one reason and one reason only. Normally he would not even run his own Empire, let alone attend these meetings. He preferred to spend his time indulging in carnal pleasures.The moment he heard Ministe
"Your Highness, might I suggest something before we decide on this matter?"After Ambevilius had made his proclamation, Minister Filo walked out from the crowd and appeared before the Emperor."Filo, what kind of suggestion?" said Ambevilius.Everyone turned their attention to Filo. "Your Highness, in order to become a successor one must either have passed the 1000 benchmark or one must be very gifted. This Sebastian Tirius is a name none of us have ever heard; this shows that he is not noteworthy. Even though Minister Li has the right to choose who he wants to invest in, it is unfair to the candidates who are more worthy of becoming successors.We should at least ask Minister Li why he has chosen an unknown candidate. I believe his words would put the rest of the investors at ease. Every time other candidates were chosen, their information was known by all, yet none of us here know of this candidate. Don't you think this is a little...unfair?"Filo's words struck a chord with almost
In the dark space, Bastian sat cross legged, observing the white haired boy on the other side of the transparent barrier. A look of contemplation was on his face, as he struggled internally with what to do next.*Buzz*Then suddenly a loud buzzing noise, like a swarm of bees, entered Bastian's ears.Sigh, here it comes again.In preparation for what was about to come, Bastian sat upright and backed away from the barrier.Although the Soul Force membrane could not get past the barrier, it could at least illuminate the surrounding area, showing what was happening on the other side.The white haired boy got up the moment he heard the buzzing, then, in frenzy, he backed himself into the barrier, completely ignoring Bastian's presence.The source of the buzzing was directly where the white haired boy was looking at. The white haired boy screamed, as if he was suffering excruciating agony. The louder the buzzing sound became, the closer the source of the sound was.At some point, the source