Beast

Mortal Emperor World, Altair Continent. Numerous factions, Kingdoms, and Sects are competing for supremacy and have divided the continent into five regions. The Central region which was the strongest is controlled by the Regulus Empire. The Eastern region is led by the Tri-Sect Union, a coalition of the three strongest sects in the region. The Western Region is in the hands of the Round Table, an organization made up of the twelve strongest Kingdoms in the region. The Northern Region is occupied by the Shamanic Tribes while the Southern Region is dominated by the Beast Empire.

The forces of these regions are hostile to each other and would sometimes engage in small-scale skirmishes over some resources but their wars are regulated by the self-proclaimed rulers of the Mortal Emperor World, the Regulus Empire.

This time, the Tri-Sect Union of the Eastern Region, made up of the Extreme Sword Sect, Black Dragon Hall and the Mystic Heaven Sect gathered many of their disciples to fight against an invasion by the northern shamanic tribe over a mid-sized Crystal Essence Mine. These crystals are naturally formed ores that have gathered the energy of heaven and earth for a long time, they are extremely helpful for cultivation which is why Crystal Essence Mines are highly coveted.

Near the borders of the Northern and Eastern regions, many Shamanic warriors and Tri-sect Cultivators are engaged in battle. Screams echoed throughout the battlefield accompanied by the symphony of steel clashing with steel as the battle painted the verdant plains red. At first, the cultivators held the advantage due to their numbers but as the battle raged on they found themselves beaten back slowly but surely. The northern warriors were known for their ferocity and barbaric techniques that strengthen their physical bodies but their advantage lies in their unity and clear leadership.

While the Tri-Sect Union had the numbers advantage, there was no clear leader in this fight. Each sect was fighting over accomplishment and small disputes between their disciples were common. As such, during critical moments when they needed to cooperate, some disciples would rather screw another sect's disciples in order to get ahead. They didn't care much about winning this battle, only the points they gained from killing their enemies. It is because of this that they were slowly beaten back over and over.

One group of disciples belonging to the Extreme Sword Sect was fiercely battling against a squad of Shamanic warriors. There were originally twenty of them but now there were only eleven. One female from their group was treating one of their wounded as the others were guarding her asked.

"Senior Brother! We need to get out of here! Call for help"

At the front of their formation, a young man dressed in blue swung his sword, killing a Shamanic Warrior, and answered loudly.

"I know! Just hold for a while, I already called for help.

Honestly, though he had called for help through their sect talisman, either the other groups of their sects are occupied, have been killed, or were just far away from them to respond and he knew that he couldn't count on the disciples of the other sects. So, he ripped a black talisman from his robes. It pained him to use this talisman as it was given to him by a friend of his.

Far away from the battlefield…

A young man dressed in black was sitting in a cave, deep within a mountain. His eyes suddenly opened to reveal a pair of golden eyes that illuminated the darkness of the cave.

He had jet-black hair, sharp, golden eyes, and a scarred mouth. He stood up and picked up a steel wolf, half-mask on the side, and wore it on his face, covering the hideous scar on his mouth. Without any sound, he disappeared from the cave.

"…"

On the battlefield, the leader of the group who tore the talisman naturally felt this reply. Energy coursed through his body as he saw hope. He kept thinking

"If he comes and joins the fight, the tide will turn in our favor."

While he was immersed in his thoughts, he heard a scream.

"Watch out!"

Boom!

Before he could even react, the place where stood was suddenly hit by a Shaman's spell. It sent him flying and greatly injured him.

"Senior Brother!" One of his squad members yelled and quickly came to his side to apply the first aide.

"Slowly Fall back! Carry the wounded!" One of them ordered.

The remaining members nodded and changed their formations, they were naturally trained by their sect on how to adopt different formations for different scenarios. A couple of hundred meters away from them another group of disciples belonging to another sect grinned when they saw the group from the Extreme Sword Sect retreating.

…

Far above the battlefield, three people were floating. They were the representatives of each sect tasked to bring their disciples here and bring home those that remain after the battle. They would only fight when the Shamans sends out a fighter on their level.

"Teacher! One of our scouts spotted a rogue cultivator rushing toward the battlefield."

Suddenly, one of them receives news from their communication talisman. He raised his brow and asked.

"A rogue cultivator?"

From the other side of the talisman, the person answered.

"Yes, he said he owes one of the disciples from the Extreme sword sect and has come to repay that favor."

Hearing this, the man suddenly laughed and said.

"Let him, as if one measly rogue cultivator can change the tide of this battle."

He then turned to one of the people beside him, a beautiful young woman who was also the representative from the extreme sword sect and sneered.

"Heh, to think the exalted Extreme Sword Sect would resort to asking help from a lowly rogue."

Despite his words, the woman remained cold and only had her eyes on the battle below. She saw how her sect's disciples slowly struggled as they were placed at a disadvantage due to the actions of the disciples of the man from the Black Dragon Hall. Anger burned within her but she chose to endure as they could not afford to fall out with the other Sects in the middle of this battle.

It was then that all three of them felt a disturbance from the distance and as they turned toward the source, they only saw a black blur streaking toward the battlefield but they felt something was wrong. They didn't know why they felt fear of this person.

"What pressure he is exerting! I even felt a bit of fear…" The man from the Black Dragon Hall exclaimed.

Followed by another man from the Mystic Heaven Sect.

"Indeed, he is only at the 5th Foundation Building realm and yet his pressure is quite astonishing."

Finally, the woman from the Extreme Sword Sect spoke.

"This is not simply "pressure", it should be a combination of momentum, a type of will, and the person's nature."

What she said shut the other representatives up as they had different thoughts about this newcomer.

They were at the early stages of the Core Formation realm and yet this young man was able to make them feel a little pressure, it intrigued them.

It had to be known that cultivation starts at the Qi-gathering realm where an individual has to feel the energy or essence of heaven and earth and slowly gather this essence within their bodies in order to wash their body and expel the impurities within. After that is the Foundation building realm where they would then use the essence of heaven and earth to strengthen their flesh, bones, internal organs, and blood. Building a strong foundation for the Essence Spring realm, Core Formation realm, Soul Nurturing Realm, and Finally Mortal Severance Realm.

…

Down below on the battlefield, the young man in black cruises through the battlefield in a straight line toward the location where the young man from the Extreme Sword Sect tore the talisman. Along the way, he would encounter groups of shamanic warriors and Tri-sect cultivators but he would just kill the shamanic warriors in his way by twisting their necks, tearing their throats, or ripping their hearts from their chests. He was moving extremely fast so the Tri-Sect disciples only saw a black blur pass through before seeing their opponents die in front of them.

…

Up above, the representatives from the three sects exclaimed.

"What speed! The ferocity behind his moves…Is he really a rogue?"

The man from Mystic Heaven Sect waved a fan.

The representative from Black Dragon Hall then added.

"Either he had an unknown master that taught him or he was lucky enough to receive an inheritance somewhere."

Meanwhile, the woman from the Extreme Sword Sect remained quiet.

…

Down below, the young man in black arrived at the last known location where the talisman was torn and he quickly investigated the surroundings and followed a trail of blood.

It didn't take long for him to see a group of people fighting against Shamanic spell users while in a makeshift ditch. He confirmed that the owner of the talisman was alive and being treated in the ditch so he made a beeline toward the shamanic spell users attacking them. He extended his hands as a silver sword adorned in crimson details appeared in his hands and he quickly dove right into the enemy forces and killed them one by one.

[For references, please look up the sword "Clarent" from the Fate Series]

From severed limbs to bisected torso, the young man in black swung his silver sword cleaving through enemies one after the other as blood spurt onto him and on his sword.

Seeing this, many of the other Shamanic warriors and spell users began to focus on the young man in black but he welcomed the challenge, in fact, he relished it. His golden eyes flickered as he continues to fight his way through the waves of enemies before him.

Up above, the three representatives of the three sects were watching his fight, and the man from the Black Dragon Hall snickered.

"How barbaric! His fighting style has no grace of a cultivator at all."

But the woman from the Extreme Sword Sect interjected.

"And yet the essence of his sword has only one thing…To kill!"

From the side, the man from the Mystic Heaven Sect turned to the woman and asked.

"Are you interested in taking him in?"

And the woman answered.

"It depends."

Down below, the young man in black continued killing his way through enemy forces when a formidable warrior rushed towards him. He was tall and well-built, and he was also wielding two battle axes as he cleaved down on the young man in black.

The young man sidestepped and immediately swung his sword down but the Shamanic Warrior quickly jumped back, avoiding his strike. Acknowledging that the opponent before them was on par with them, their eyes gleamed with ferocity and they rushed at each other. Their blades and axes clashed as the young man in black was initially pushed back due to size differences but he made it up with speed. Every time the Shamanic Warrior would cleave with his axe, the young man would use his sword to lightly block and direct the opponent's attack to the side before counter-attacking with punches and kicks. Though these attacks dealt little damage to the Shamanic Warrior, it still showed that the young man had a little advantage in this fight.

"You are strong…What is your name?"

The young man in black was rather surprised at the question but did not answer, only pointing at the wolf mask over his mouth.

"Wolf? Very well, Wolf. Let us decide this battle once and for all."

Brown-colored energy then welled up from within the Shamanic warrior as he rushed over with his axe raised. On the other hand, the young man, Wolf stood calmly as red-colored energy enveloped his silver sword, with a swift motion he slashed down.

The two attacks met and a loud explosion resounded as a dust cloud formed from their attacks. When the dust settles, the sound of metal breaking could be heard as many saw the formidable Shamanic warrior fall on his back as five diagonal cuts could be seen on his forehead, throat, chest, stomach, and thighs. Behind him, the ground was also cut by the force of the attack.

Above, the woman from the Extreme Sword Sect was intrigued, for individuals such as them who had higher cultivation realms were able to clearly see that as Wolf's blade cleaved down, it actually split the air around it, creating five diagonal wind cuts.

"What a strong sword technique! I think very few Silver-ranked sword techniques could match it, even in your Extreme Sword Sect!"

The Man from Mystic Heaven Sect exclaimed while the woman from the Extreme Sword Sect watched on with great interest.

"Indeed. Now I'm curious how this boy has cultivated all this time to even gain such a strong technique!"

Hong! Hong! Hong!

Suddenly, a loud sound of horns echoed throughout the battlefield as the forces of the Northern region hastily retreated.

On the ground, Wolf coldly watches as numerous Shamanic Warriors and Spell users run away. He then grabbed a small bag from within the clothes of the formidable Shamanic Warrior. At this moment, his eyes widened as the hairs on his body stood up and he quickly swung his sword behind him only to be blocked by a finger.

"Easy there, little fella."

A soothing voice entered his ears as a young man woman in a green dress with long flowing amber hair. She approached him with a smile but he slowly took a step back, he didn't know these people before him but he knew they were dangerous.

"I do not intend to harm you, only to ask you a few questions." The woman said with a smile.

Still apprehensive, Wolf didn't lower his sword or his guard but nodded regardless. The woman then began to ask a series of questions.

"What is your name?"

To which he answered the same way he did for the Shamanic Warrior, he pointed at the half-face wolf mask he was wearing.

"Wolf? Okay, Wolf. Do you belong to any sects?"

Wolf shook his head. The Woman then continued.

"Do you have any masters who taught you cultivation?

But this time, she received no answers. From the side, the man from the Black Dragon Hall was getting irritated and spoke.

"Are you fucking mute!?"

A sharp gleam faintly appeared on Wolf's eyes before relaxing. He then lowered his sword and stabbed it on the ground before moving his hands towards the back of his head. Small metallic sounds could be heard as the wolf mask began to loosen up and the three representatives saw Wolf's disfigured mouth.

He had severe burns that exposed portions of his jaw and other parts of his mouth. Wolf then began to take off his upper clothes, revealing gnarly scars that ran across his body.

Seeing this, the eyes of the three representatives grew sharper. They knew this young man had been tortured before and judging from the scars, it happened a long time ago when he was little…very little. The pain that this man before them experienced was far worse than what they have ever felt as they had their cultivation and various healing elixirs but this young man experienced practically hell on earth as a mortal child.

Despite the initial disdain that the representative from the Black Dragon Hall had for Wolf, he had to respect the tenacity that Wolf had to endure all that pain and persevere to reach the cultivation he has today, meager as it may be to them.

At the site, pain and pity could be seen in the eyes of the representative of the Extreme Sword Sect as she spoke.

"I have seen your fight earlier and believe that you have great potential. So, I extend this invitation to join my Extreme Sword Sect. I have seen your swordplay, rough as it may be…it is sharp and deadly. With a little guidance, you will greater heights. Do you accept this invitation?"

Wolf's eyes narrowed into a slit and he began to carefully observe the woman's eyes and her facial expression. Honestly, he knew that joining a sect would be extremely beneficial for him especially for a sword cultivator like himself to join the Extreme Sword sect, the number one sword sect in the Eastern region. But because of his past experiences, he found it hard to trust anybody without carefully investigating them.

But then, the woman extended her hand, and on her palm was a golden pill.

"This is a Golden Phoenix Pill, known to be one of the best healing pills under the Gold rank. This will help you recover from your scars and possibly allow you to regain your ability to speak."

Hearing this, Wolf was naturally tempted. For a long time, he has struggled to communicate with others and although he was already accustomed to wearing the wolf mask, he still felt aggrieved because of his appearance. He titled his head to the side as if to ask "Why?".

The woman then said.

"Because I want to."

Wolf slowly closed his eyes and when he opened them, he took the golden pill and swallowed it. Moments later, the flesh on his scarred face started to wiggle as slowly but surely it began to heal. From the blood vessels to the flesh and skin, his appearance started to recover to reveal a handsome young man, totally unlike his scarred face.

"A…a…A-li-os…"

He then struggled to get the sounds out as it has been a long time since he last properly spoke. Luckily, the woman understood and replied.

"Alios? Is that your name?"

Wolf or Alios then nodded.

"Very well, Alios. From this moment forward, you are now a member of my Extreme Sword Sect."