by William Bill
Damien was standing before the weapon rack. He already knew which weapon to pick. Without any hesitation, he chose the dull sword with his right hand.
In his previous life, before even his powers awakened, he was an expert swordsman. Though it was the twenty-first century, he had an extreme fascination with the ways of the sword. Basically, no one would imagine someone using weapons like swords when guns were faster and deadlier.
But people who knew his expertise wouldn't think it was wrong for him to use a sword. He was so good at it that he can deflect powerful attacks, even bullets using his sword. By training his swordplay, he had increased his speed, reflexes, agility, stamina, and durability to a state where no human can contend with him.
He was also equally good at close combat and had lots of combat experience. He can infuse his movements with powerful kicks, knees, punches, takedowns, throws, and various other sporadic attacks, as well as do quick parries, simultaneously attack and defend and swiftly counter.
Basically, no one would dare to take him head-on. And that's without taking into account his powers.
With his powers and sword skills coupled, he was virtually invincible.
Everyone wondered who taught him the ways of the sword and close combat. But strangely after 'The Great Calamity' ,he couldn't recall who his master was, how he became an expert swordsman in such a short amount of time or the knowledge he had regarding various things.
It's like there were some memory gaps, and he felt like he forgot some of the most important details about his life.
The sword he picked up was just a typical long sword, and the edges of the sword were dulled with some rust here and there. It won't be an overstatement to say that it was the lousiest sword Damien had ever seen.
The barrier came down as Damien made his way towards the combat arena. The Grey Wolf was suppressed by Elder Faust's aura so that it would not run away or start the fight prematurely. A practitioner can use his aura to suppress another living being completely as long as the former's cultivation is significantly higher than the latter.
Once he got inside, the barrier was activated again as he came face to face with the ferocious Grey Wolf. It was already enraged for being captured and locked inside. Now, it had a chance to vent its fury on a meat bag.
Elder Faust spoke in a loud voice, "Let the match begin!"
The Grey Wolf was freed from his suppression as it pounced towards Damien with a snarl. Damien quickly dodged and rolled over to avoid its attack.
He wanted to test out the Grey Wolf's abilities, but he didn't feel much pressure as he faced its attack. Finding out that he had a chance to kill it, he readied his sword as he prepared to fight it for real.
The moment he got prepared to fight, his body emitted an incomparably sharp and piercing aura as if his entire person had become a sharp sword.
The audience also felt how Damien's aura changed and was surprised at how he was exhibiting a sword intent and sword force that they had never seen before and shouldn't exist in a person with such low cultivation and age.
Even ignoring the concept of sword force which one usually exhibits at least after the Spirit Ethereal Realm, sword intent is something that only experts can exhibit who have high attainments in sword mastery. And that expertise usually comes with age and high cultivation or with high innate talent in swordsmanship.
The Grey Wolf got slightly intimidated seeing the change in the aura of its prey. Still, it was angry at seeing its attack being dodged. Its grey eyes were staring straight at Damien as it exploded in a manic aura, and with a roar, its aura stifling, it came pouncing over.
Furrowing his eyebrows, Damien suddenly jumped up when it came close and leaped above the Grey Wolf as he slashed towards the wolf's neck while twisting his body in mid-air.
Swish~~
The wolf seemed to be running forward as if in a daze.
*Thud*
When it suddenly collapsed lifelessly on the ground as its severed neck went rolling away a few meters with blood gushing out from its lifeless body as if from a spring, dyeing the arena ground red.
'Tch, this sword is so lame.' Damien clicked his tongue in frustration as he inspected the rusty and dull sword in his hand.
The Grey Wolf dropped dead just like that! Within one move!
Within just a single breath of time and a single strike, a fifteen-year-old crippled kid easily killed off an ethereal beast at the second level of the Initial Ethereal Realm with just pure physical strength and without an ounce of ethereal strength.
In his previous life, he had the knowledge of medicine, and the biology of living beings supposedly taught to him by the very same person who taught him swordsmanship. Since he had the knowledge of a living organism's workings, he aimed for its weak spot based on a guess.
If it were a human being, he wouldn't need to guess as he can even aim at the vital spots even with his eyes closed.
He wasn't surprised that the Grey Wolf's neck had been severed easily. After all, he didn't clearly understand the difference between cultivation bases much. In fact, his reaction was as if what happened was only natural.
But contrary to his reaction, the audience's reaction was quite the opposite. Their expressions were of incredulity and disbelief.
"What did I just see? How can a kid at that level produce sword intent? Am I imagining things or…"
"Is this kid really just a vagabond? Even those prominent geniuses from major families didn't exude such sword intent at his age, even with their superior cultivation base. I never knew a cripple could exude such sword intent."
"This kid's background can't be simple. But it's a pity he is crippled and ended up here."
Forget about Damien not even circulating his ethereal energy to infuse to his strike or his lousy sword; an ethereal beast would always be stronger than an average practitioner with the same cultivation.
But the Grey Wolf was even a minor realm higher than him, which was more than enough to cause a bit of aura suppression on Damien, probably more since he was a cripple.
It would even be considered miraculous if Damien could survive for ten seconds under its attacks.
But the end result was quite the opposite. It seemed like the wolf didn't even stand a chance against him and was instead suppressed by him.
The reason Damien did not circulate his ethereal energy was that he couldn't. His ethereal core points were crippled, and thus the inability to form an ethereal core in his body. Without the ethereal core, he wouldn't be able to channel ethereal energy in his body.
And the reason he was able to suppress the Grey Wolf was due to his sharp and deep sword force and sword intent even though it was nothing compared to the sword intent he could exude in his peak condition.
It basically canceled out the Grey Wolf's aura, and thus it didn't even stand a fighting chance.
But the reason he was able to cut off its head cleanly wasn't only due to his sword intent but also because of his high attainments in the way of the sword!
Chapter 5: One Vs Three
Damien did not notice how hungry and weak his body currently was due to the shocking events that had just happened to him.
Only after he had killed the wolf and the adrenaline rush in his body had dropped down, he realized that he was basically running on fumes.
"Haa...Haa…"
Damien's breathing was heavy as he tried to take deep, slow breaths to relax his breathing. He looked towards Elder Faust, wondering if this shit show was over and if he would be allowed to get out of this place.
Elder Faust was incensed at seeing how things have turned out, 'This can't be happening. How could a mere cripple defeat a beast with higher cultivation? Is this really some poor kid without any background?'
Elder Faust usually makes sure of all the details and background of the 'products' he sells. But he didn't bother about Damien because he wasn't planning on selling him but instead just using him for entertainment due to the near-death state he was in.
; Also, Damien was a cripple, and the bandits told him that he was just lying outside without anybody to care for him. Even though he found it strange that he was poisoned, he didn't give it much thought. Who knows, maybe the boy just ate something poisonous out of hunger.
Clearly, the bandits hid the part about killing Damien's cousin and servant since the bandit leader wanted to make things simple and get some money out of it.
But after seeing Damien's performance, especially his piercing sword intent, Elder Faust was forced to think twice about his background.
What if he was an illegitimate child caught between some internal family feud in a prestigious family or even the ruling family of an Empire!
'Maybe his enemies crippled him and threw him out in a distant place, hoping he would die naturally due to the poison. No...I can't let him leave this place alive. Since it has already come to this, there's no going back. I should make sure he dies.'
To avoid any future troubles to his business, Elder Faust was determined to end this warmup match as fast as possible with Damien's death.
Damien saw Elder Faust being deep in thought with a not so happy expression on his face. He knew he wasn't supposed to win, and his role should have ended by dying to the beast. But there was no way he would let that happen.
Damien shouted at the top of his voice at Elder Faust, "Hey, I won this match. Am I not done here?"
Elder Faust spoke in a dismissive tone, "Who said that the match ended? I never mentioned the number of rounds you have to win. For now, you have just won a single round. And you will continue fighting as long as I deem fit."
'Hmph kid, you can only dream about getting out of this alive. There is no way I am going to allow that.' Elder Faust sneered in his mind.
Elder Faust signaled one of the guards to open the gate where the beasts were kept. As soon as it opened, three Grey Wolfs walked into the arena. They all looked bloodthirsty, as if they can't wait to rip apart any prey they see in front of them.
'Fuck...how can this guy be so shameless? So that's how you want to play, huh. It seems like luck isn't on my side. Am I really going to die right after being reincarnated?' Damien put on a grave expression.
Damien knew there was no point in arguing with Elder Faust since he was powerless in this situation. He even had fewer hopes for the audience standing up for him as he had already observed the kind of people who came to take part in this business and watch this 'entertaining' show.'
Meanwhile, most of the audience were getting fired upon seeing that an interesting fight was going to take place.
"Hehe, this kid can't be that stupid to think that he can go home with just that win."
"I never thought a warmup match would be this interesting, unlike the usual boring ones jeje."
"Hahaha, this time, this kid is done for. Three Grey Wolves at the sixth level of the Initial Ethereal Realm. It seems like the Elder is getting impatient."
Comments and remarks about the boy's imminent death filled the previously quiet audience area.
"How can that Elder be this shameless? He clearly won that match despite being weak. Isn't this unfair?" The princess spoke in a disgruntled tone.
Oswin Rong shook his head as he said, "Your Highness, you must know that there is no true fairness in our world. It is just as unfair as the politics and the schemes happening in our empire, as you know. Maybe it's good that you are here after all so you could understand more about the reality of how the outside world works as well."
The princess was someone who barely went outside her own home except for a few official functions or political gatherings. She was someone who focused on her cultivation and becoming stronger because of the problems she faced, and sights like these felt foreign to her.
"But he's clearly talented and so young. I have never seen such beautiful sword movements and someone who can cross levels to win despite being a cripple. My movements cannot compare to his, even though I train mine every single day. Even the so-called young sword experts from the Lancaster Empire wouldn't be able to compare to his sword intent. It would be bad if he were to die here."
Nestor Rong sighed as he said, "Your Highness, it is true that he seems very talented, probably someone from a great family, but he is already crippled. Since he is here, it means he was left to die, or there is no one to care about him."
"But...still…" The princess didn't feel like staying in that place anymore. But recalling the reason she came here, she had no choice but to stay.
But what caught the princess's attention more than Damien's sword skills was the black amulet hanging around his neck.
Damien had experience in group fights. But currently, he wasn't in his best shape, and he could feel that the three Grey Wolves were individually stronger than the one he just killed. He felt pressured by their combined aura. But he steeled his will and readied his heart and mind to face them. His sword intent also got sharper as he became completely focused and serious.
Elder Faust let out in a loud voice, "Let the second round begin!"
The three Grey Wolfs, getting freed from the suppression, immediately lunged towards Damien as if they were competing against each other to kill Damien first.
Damien sidestepped, dodging the first Grey Wolf. He put his feet forward as he cut a semi-circular arc with his sword aiming for the second Grey Wolf's eyes. Both of its eyes were instantly blinded as dark red blood gushed out from its eyes.
*HOOOOOOWWWWWL!!!*
The immense pain turned the second Grey Wolf crazy and stumbled sideways as the third Grey Wolf jumped towards Damien, baring its fangs.
Damien quickly shifted his sword and thrust it towards its mouth while moving his body sideways, not to let the Grey Wolf fall over his body.
The third Grey Wolf died, but Damien struggled to remove his sword from its body since its body was tough. He had used the momentum of the third Grey Wolf to let his sword pierce deep into its mouth.
While he was struggling, the first Grey Wolf already pounced towards Damien and bit his arm, pulling the sword.
Damien gritted his teeth as the Grey Wolf's sharp teeth sunk into his forearms. Because he couldn't use ethereal energy to protect his body as a defensive layer, he was basically defenseless against the Grey Wolf's fangs.
He could feel its teeth penetrate deep into his bones, and he almost felt like his forearm was going to be torn off.
He used the fingers in his left hand to stab towards its eyes. Not expecting Damien's sudden jab at its eyes, it released its fangs from Damien's arm as it staggered backward.
Damien stepped his foot on the dead Grey Wolf's head and used his left hand to remove the sword. His right forearm was now bloodied with blood dripping from his right hand, and he could barely feel his forearm as it lifelessly dangled as if it was going to separate from his elbow.
If he were a moment late in attacking the wolf, his forearm would have been torn off like tearing paper. His breathing grew sluggish as he started feeling a bit dizzy due to blood loss.
But he bit his tongue to snap out of it as a single moment of weakness could cost his life!
Now he was facing against two Grey Wolves. One in front and one behind him. The blind Grey Wolf had gotten out of its daze and was mad after getting blinded as it's murderous aura increased. Even though it could not see Damien, it could sense him by smell.
But it didn't dare to act rashly as it had just been blinded. Instead, its instincts made it keep on looking at Damien for an opening.
Damien narrowed his eyes as he saw the first Grey Wolf preparing to spring towards him. He rushed towards the first Grey Wolf as it was in mid-air pouncing towards him.
Damien ducked and slid under the wolf as he slashed the Grey Wolf's throat while using his legs to throw off the Grey Wolf towards the blind Grey Wolf, which was preparing to backstab Damien.
The blood from the Grey Wolf's throat had splattered all over Damien's face and clothes as he looked like a devil who rose from the depths of hell.
Damien immediately got up and rushed towards the Grey Wolves to plunge his sword into the blind Grey Wolf's right eye, stuck under the other Grey Wolf piercing its skull.
He raised his sword by the hilt and gave a forceful thrust towards the head of the other Grey Wolf, finishing it off.
His body faltered as he fell to his knees, holding on to the hilt of his sword as support. His body was almost out of breath as he could barely stay conscious.
He didn't want to fall unconscious as it would surely mean his death. He still refused to die like this. He had faced countless life and death situations in his previous life, some even worse than what he was currently experiencing. So how could he fall now?
Meanwhile, there was total silence among the audience as they didn't know how to process what they just witnessed.
A cripple defeating three beasts at the sixth level of the Initial Ethereal Realm was basically unheard of as far as they know in the entire world.
No, actually, no matter which continent or place in the world, it is impossible for a cripple to achieve this feat as far as they knew.
"Is he really just a cripple? What did I just see?"
"This has gone beyond just a simple warmup match. This is a feat that hasn't ever been witnessed in our history."
"I am pretty sure this boy must be a scion of some prestigious sect or family. He must have been crippled and thrown away here to die."
"Just what kind of a monster is he? Imagine the power and heights he would have reached if he was not crippled."
The audience all had their gaze on this crippled boy after being dumbstruck at seeing his performance. They were beyond shocked as they witnessed things that basically exceeded their understanding of the ethereal way.
Elder Faust was gnashing his teeth in anger and frustration. Even he found it hard to accept what had just happened. He had released three of those Grey Wolves just to be safe.
But even then, Damien survived. Looking at the audience's reactions, he knew things were getting out of hand as people started giving more attention to the boy.
