Eternal Gate [ Special Edition ]: The way of the Sword

by William Bill

  'Seems like after this, I should have a nice talk with those filthy bandits'.

  He hurriedly sent a sound transmission to the guard to send the next beast.

  As the gate opened, a slightly bigger version of the Grey Wolf with brown fur came out, exuding a ferocious aura many times stronger than the previous Grey Wolfs.

  The audience had barely recovered from their astonishment as they saw the brown-colored wolf.

  "It's a Brown Claw Wolf! It seems like they are really keen on ending this boy's life."

  "That is a beast at the first level of the Nascent Ethereal Realm. That boy is dead meat now. It looks like the host wants to kill him as fast as possible tsk tsk."

  As soon as the Brown Claw Wolf entered the combat space, Elder Faust immediately let out "Let the third—"

  RING!!

  A ringing sound was heard, making Elder Faust cut off his voice in the middle as everybody turned towards one of the VIP glass boxes.

  Chapter 6: I Want Him

  "Your Highness, why did you press the yellow jade stone?!" Oswin Rong was startled when he suddenly heard the ring sounding from near him.

  "B-Because I felt like it." The princess replied in an irresolute tone.

  Even she had no idea why she pressed it. Before she could even realize it, her hand was already on the stone.

  Watching Damien fighting for his life and the black amulet that grabbed her attention before evoked some complicated feelings and nostalgic memories in her.

  And maybe it was because Damien was very young and talented despite being a cripple; she didn't want him to lose his life like that.

  "Your Highness, this isn't a place to joke. Since you pressed that stone, there is no going back. We have to buy him, or we would be barred from purchasing anything in the future. We only have enough spirit stones to purchase one person. Even if he is a cripple, we have to pay the minimum amount set by them as per the rules. So, why choose a cripple?" Nestor Rong asked in a solemn tone.

  He was dumbfounded when he saw the princess pressing the stone. The princess's two protectors couldn't understand why the princess would pick Damien when he couldn't possibly be of any assistance to them.

  Since she already pressed the stone, she didn't want to go back on her actions, nor could she do so. And in her heart, somewhere, she wanted to rescue Damien.

  "I don't have to tell you my reasons. I have decided. I want him. Since there is no going back then, there's no point in arguing. Is there?" The princess spoke in a defiant tone.

  The two protectors sighed after hearing her response. They thought the princess was trying to rescue Damien because she was too kind to witness these things. Maybe they should have tried harder to come here alone, they thought.

  The audience was surprised that someone wanted to purchase a cripple as a slave, especially someone from the VIP area. It just seemed so absurd that some even started believing in some conspiracy theories they had theorized after the match.

  Elder Faust was confounded seeing this situation. Here he was trying his level best to get rid of Damien when suddenly someone wants to buy a cripple?

  Sure, Damien was young and very talented. But all of those didn't matter because of the fact that he was a cripple. No one can expect him to fight or do their dirty work as their slave unless they just want some slave who can do basic chores.

  But even then, there are many other suitable slaves for that at a price way cheaper than warriors. So, it can't be for that.

  He just couldn't believe it unless someone had other motives in store for Damien. Maybe they know Damien and must be trying to exploit something out of him.

  Elder Faust was worried whether Damien was coming from a prominent background. Because if he does, then that would mean he had put the Dark Sky Guild in trouble. And he would lose his head or worse as a consequence as he was just a mere Elder in the guild.

  Elder Faust doesn't know the whole story of who or how Damien got here. What if Damien's circumstances was a consequence of some enmity between Empires. Elder Faust's imagination had no bounds as he kept on worrying.

  But he thought maybe the situation wasn't so bad. As long as he could sell-off Damien to that group of three, Damien wouldn't be his headache anymore.

  Elder Faust took out a sound transmission jade that was linked to all of the VIP boxes. He activated the link towards VIP box 3 so that nobody can listen in to their conversation.

  He spoke formally, "Esteemed customer, since this boy is a cripple, we haven't placed an ethereal seal on him yet. Also, we never planned to sell him off since he is a defective product. So we wouldn't be able to take any responsibility in case there is any problem, and he would at least cost the minimum price listed for a warrior as per the rules."

  Elder Faust emphasized the 'responsibility' part so that he wouldn't be blamed later on, no matter what happens to Damien.

  The princess was disgusted after hearing what Elder Faust said, especially when he referred to Damien as a 'defective product' as if he was an object.

  The princess replied after disguising her voice, "It doesn't matter. There is no need to place any seal. I need him as he is now, and I will take complete responsibility."

  Even though the voices of the people sitting inside the VIP box would be disguised before being transmitted to Elder Faust, she still took extra precautions to disguise her voice herself.

  Elder Faust was surprised that the other party didn't want any kind of seals placed on Damien. Then what are they planning to do with him?

  'Haa...I shouldn't think too much about this. Maybe they want to place their own seal...Anyway, I can, at last, take off my hands from this matter.' Elder Faust thought. He was already a little satisfied that he could gain some profit by selling a cripple.

  "Of course, esteemed customer. We will deliver him without any seals, and meanwhile, we will also send an agreement to be signed by your esteemed self. Hope this is satisfactory for you?"

  "Yes, it's fine." The princess replied plainly.

  "Your Highness, what do you plan to do with that boy? It is not good to take him without placing any seal, nor will you be able to make him do any useful things." Nestor Rong queried with concern.

  "I don't want any seal to be placed on him otherwise, how would it make us any different than these people. Also, he can't even cause us any harm, so there's no need to be cautious about him. We will talk later about what to do with him."

  Meanwhile, Damien was only half-conscious of the things happening around him. When he heard the ringing sound, he regained a bit of awareness and woke up from his stupor.

  He could understand from the sound that someone wanted to buy him, which even surprised him. Even though he was new to this world, he still understood some basic facts. And one fact was that cripples had no value at all in the cultivation world, and they would be better off dead in such a dangerous world.

  So he couldn't understand who would want him and started wondering if they had some other malicious intentions in store for him. The last thing he wants is to end up as a slave.

  But before he could think about it any more, the same guard from before came near him.

  "Brat, guess it's your lucky day. It seems like it's not your time to die yet. Let's go. We can't keep the customers waiting."

  The guard lifted Damien by his left arm, and he saw his right forearm dangling lifelessly.

  "Ughh...brat, your forearm is a mess. It looks like it got crippled too. I wonder what more can be crippled in your body hahaha." The guard mocked, seeing Damien's current state.

  Before Damien could even retort, the guard sped up his movements to move towards the back of the arena where the transactions would take place.

  Being dragged around suddenly, Damien experienced slight disorientation due to his state. He was getting fed up and angry because of his current situation and helplessness.

  "Whoops, I forgot you were a cripple, hehe. Don't worry. You won't suffer anymore unless your future master w
ants to make you do 'fun' stuff, hahaha." The guard didn't feel any pity seeing Damien's state, but instead, he found pleasure in mocking him.

  'I swear, I am gonna make you die a painful death.' Damien swore inwardly.

  Soon enough, they reached the back of the arena, and he could see Elder Faust and three hooded figures having some sort of discussion.

  Elder Faust noticed the guard and Damien coming over. He gave a slight bow to the princess as he said, "Thank you for your purchase, esteemed customer. We will look forward to seeing you all again. I will now take my leave since everything here is settled now. As promised, we didn't place any seal on him."

  He nodded to the guard to leave Damien near the group of three and went back into the arena.

  Although he need not personally make sure Damien was delivered, he wanted to make sure there weren't any problems during the transaction. He also wanted to personally collect the signed agreement he had modified to include the 'responsibility' part.

  The guard dropped off Damien near them and went on his way. Damien wondered who and what kind of people 'bought' him. At the same time, he was still thinking about how to escape since his situation started looking a little hopeful.

  He could barely stand as he was staring at the group of three, especially the relatively shorter one in the middle, who seemed to call all the shots.

  The princess couldn't see Damien's face properly as the blood of the beasts covered his face. He looked like someone who had a life and death battle in hell, which wasn't that far from the truth.

  But she could see his deathly cold and deep black eyes, which had a lethal attraction that she even forgot to blink for a while. And one could even confidently say that he had a handsome face underneath all the blood and dirt.

  *Cough*

  Realizing that the princess was staring at Damien for quite a while, Oswin Rong gave a light cough to make her come out from her daze.

  Behind the hood and mask, the princess's face was flushed a little when she realized how she got caught in an embarrassing situation and wondered why she got dazed in the first place.

  She cleared her voice and commanded, "Pick him up. We will talk outside. It's time to leave this godforsaken place."

  Chapter 7: I Don't Need Your Help

  After coming outside the black market, they moved towards the carriage they came in.

  Damien could see a plain carriage made up of black colored wood drawn by two black horses. The horses were more than two meters tall and had a well-built body with a red horn on their heads.

  "Wait!" Damien shouted. He had no idea where they were planning to take him, but he also didn't want to wait to find out. He tried to struggle free from Oswin Rong's hold, but it was of no avail. Even if he were in perfect condition, it would be the same result.

  He looked at the short hooded figure standing in front of him and said, "I don't plan on becoming your slave. You should let me go. Whatever it is you are planning, I don't have anything to offer."

  The princess wasn't surprised and looked at Damien briefly from head to toe. Previously, she was in a hurry to get out of the black market, due to which she wasn't able to examine his condition properly.

  But now, she could see that the clothes on his body were already disheveled and dirty, and his right forearm was a mess of flesh and blood with the bones exposed.

  Most probably, he would never be able to use his right hand. In other words, it was permanently crippled unless he takes some expensive and potent healing medicine.

  She felt pity and a bit sad seeing his condition, especially seeing how his dominant hand was ruined.

  The princess spoke in a calm tone, "Relax, I am not planning to make you my slave nor make you do anything you don't like. I just want to know who you are exactly? Which family are you coming from? Maybe I can send you back to people whom you can trust."

  Damien couldn't believe what he was hearing. He never expected that the person in front of him 'bought' him just to rescue him. All the people he has seen and met in this world had only malicious intent, especially the ones in the black market.

  So he expected these people to also belong to the same sort of people. Why would a genuinely righteous person visit these kinds of places in the first place?

  Even if they wanted to rescue the slaves, they would either rescue all of them or at least do something detrimental to the black market. Why would these people only rescue him, a cripple, and ignore everybody else?

  And who was this guy in front of him? He guessed that it must be a boy seeing the height and small frame of her figure. Even with the hooded robe on her body, it didn't add much broadness to her figure. And since her voice was also disguised, he had no idea it was a girl.

  Damien didn't know whether he could even trust these people. In the final few years of his past life, he had already lost trust in the world and only had hatred towards them.

  After the death of Sofie, he was constantly on the run. He never trusted anybody, no matter how kind and nice they appeared to be. Because once they find out his identity, they would surely hand him over to his enemies.

  He was a wanted criminal of the highest priority throughout the world. Even anyone trying to protect him would be branded as a criminal.

  Before the calamity, he was loved and hailed throughout the world as a hero. Even though he was the strongest in the world, he never got drunk in his own power. He used his powers to help the world become a better place, to protect the public, and stop evil.

  He was not born with powers. When he was a teen, he suddenly manifested strange powers that he had no idea of how it manifested.

  But after the calamity, he lost his powers along with some of his memories.

  Sofie's death was caused by one of his sworn brothers when he ratted out their whereabouts to people who hunted them.

  The people he considered as his brothers and close friends turned against him except for a few. But the few girls who didn't betray him still died trying to protect him because they truly loved him.

  But he only realized their feelings for him before their demise. Before that, he had only seen them as close friends or sisters.

  Since then, he never let anyone get close to him and was always in disguise. He wanted to take revenge for Sofie's death and also for the girls who died protecting him. Most of all, he wanted to find out how he was the cause of 'The Great Calamity' and the person who mind-controlled him.

  Yes, he believed he was being controlled on the day of the calamity. After the calamity, his memories weren't clear, and he felt like he forgot some crucial things that happened before the calamity. But no matter what, he couldn't fill in those gaps in his memories.

  All he could remember about what happened during the calamity was how he killed billions of people like ants. He could feel their despair, pain, anguish, confusion as he was devouring their souls.

  After that incident, he was mentally broken and traumatized. He couldn't believe he carried out a worldwide genocide without any reason.

  He had never killed a person in his whole life due to his kind and benevolent nature. In fact, before the calamity, he wasn't even strong enough to carry out a worldwide genocide like that. Even if he wanted to, his powers couldn't even be compared to the powers he had during the calamity.

  He even surrendered himself to the survivors since he believed he deserved to be judged for the killings he had done. Even though he didn't do it on purpose, he was ready to accept punishments even worse than death.

  He had somehow lost his powers, because of which the survivors didn't even hesitate to torture him to vent their resentment and fury and also to get him to tell why he carried out such an atrocity. Still, all he said was, "I didn't do it."

  He was in a self-denial state since even killing one person was inconceivable for him.

  Even though he was in a self-denial state, in his mind, he believed that he was the one truly responsible for their deaths even if he had no idea why it happened to him. For t
he very same reason, he surrendered himself without trying to run away.

  Some even experimented on him in the name of humanity to find out why he had special powers before, how he used it to cause the calamity, and to find out whether they could exploit anything out of him.

  But he still didn't complain or resist in any way. He endured all the torture, suffering, and ill-treatment for almost five years, but they also made sure he didn't die.

  His suffering continued until Sofie, and the girls came to rescue him. They were preparing all these years to come up with a rescue plan since Damien was held in a supermax prison monitored by people with superhuman abilities.

  It wasn't an easy task to rescue him, and even with their planning, there was a huge risk of dying during the rescue process.

  But after getting Damien out from the prison, they were surrounded, and all the girls except Sofie died protecting Damien.

  Damien was already broken when he was rescued, but seeing his close friends dying for him woke him up from his state of senselessness.

  Something cracked inside him, and suddenly he awakened some strange powers different than his old powers. Before they could kill him or Sofie, he went into a frenzy and killed them all instantly.

  That was the first time he had killed people consciously. He felt nothing, not even a bit of guilt after killing them.

  Maybe it was due to his mental state after years of torture, or it was because of seeing his close friends' death or because he had already taken billions of lives before.

  Maybe it was because of all these reasons that Damien became a different person altogether from that day onwards.

  If one were to see the current Damien, they would never imagine him as the Damien before the calamity.

  But the power he used that day came at a cost since he unconsciously burned his soul essence to use those powers. He felt those powers a little similar to the one he had during 'The Great Calamity,' but the difference in power was like heaven and earth.