《The Crimson Gladiator》 The Betrayal After battling for hours, I Kex Tejowrath killed the Demi-Lord "Mahaan" on the Pulse Island, where the ground was filled with dead bodies of monsters and warriors. I couldn''t see anything clearly. After using all my powers, my senses had dulled. This was the toughest battle of my life. Killing a Demi-Lord was no easy task. My vision was blurry, but I could make out a figure approaching me. "Kex! You did a great job. But I have no use for you anymore, so I will eradicate you into the Forbidden Continent. This is goodbye." The voice belonged to my fianc¨¦e¡ªLady Eve. What was she doing here? And what was she saying? She threw something in front of me¡ªa head. When my eyes finally focused, I couldn''t believe it. It was my best friend¡¯s head. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. "I killed him because he was getting in the way of my plan. So, take his head with you." She took out a dagger, made a small cut on her finger, and let the blood drip onto the ground. As soon as the drops touched the earth, she chanted a spell, and a portal appeared. I clenched my fists, my heart breaking apart. "All I ever wanted was to spend the rest of my life with Lady Eve until the day I died. But why did things turn out like this? Why, Eve? Why? I loved you more than anything¡­ but I was just a piece in your plan, wasn''t I? "I will never forgive you for what you did to me. Even if I die today, I will come back to life and take my revenge. I will kill you with my own hands. I will fucking kill you myself. Until then¡ªstay alive." I shouted with the last of my strength as I was swallowed into Hell¡¯s Hole. One last time, I looked up and saw two beautiful moons¡ªone shining in the sky¡­ and the other, the one who had destroyed my life and thrown me into this hell. Where did it all go wrong? I never thought I would die like this. It all started when I decided to study at Stardome Academy¡ªand my life took a turn I never expected. The Wrong Route - 1 My father is an officer under the Venus Company, a massive trading enterprise spanning the continent, managed by the noble Medus Earl''s family. Today is a significant day for our family¡ªmy engagement to the Earl''s daughter. This arrangement was planned years ago by the Earl¡¯s father and my grandfather. They made a promise to unite both families through marriage. Initially, both my parents and the Earl¡¯s parents opposed the idea, believing it unfair to engage their children without their consent. However, the Earl''s father proposed a truce: when the children reached the appropriate age, they would be given a choice. If even one of them agreed to the marriage, the engagement would proceed. At midday, we arrived at our ancestral village, where it all began. Shortly after, the Earl¡¯s family arrived as well, traveling discreetly in a single carriage with personal guards. The engagement was kept secret from the public, ensuring their arrival remained unnoticed. I stood beside my grandfather, awaiting their descent from the carriage. First, the Earl¡¯s father stepped out, followed by other members of the family. But what truly captured my heart was the girl I was about to be engaged to¡ªEve Medus Sarees. She looked like an angel from the sacred books, as if she had descended to Terra, illuminating everything around her with an ethereal glow. Meanwhile, I was just an ordinary boy¡ªslightly above average in both looks and ability. I couldn''t help but wonder if this was truly happening to me. As she stepped out of the carriage, she first bowed to my grandfather, then turned to me and respectfully inclined her head. In response, I gently took her hand and kissed it, following the custom my grandfather had taught me¡ªa sign of respect towards nobility. With the formalities complete, we proceeded directly to the engagement ceremony. Holding her hand, I solemnly recited the vow under the priest¡¯s guidance. And just like that, I was officially engaged to Eve Medus Sarees. I was only twelve years old at the time. I later learned that Eve was set to enroll at Stardome Academy that year. However, I wasn¡¯t skilled in swordsmanship, magic, or martial arts, so I hadn¡¯t planned to attend. But I made a decision that day¡ªI would train for three years and join Stardome Academy, determined to impress Eve.
Three Years Later Standing at the entrance of our village, I bid farewell to my grandparents, telling them I was finally leaving for the academy. From there, I traveled back to my home in Malaket Town, where I had spent my entire life. After spending a final day with my family, I set out on my journey, leaving behind my home with nothing but a simple sword, a backpack, and some money. To reach Stardome City, where the academy was located, I boarded a passenger cart¡ªone of the cheaper ones available. Including myself, there were five passengers, all seemingly headed for the entrance exam as well. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Before we could depart, the driver requested payment. I wasn¡¯t aware of the fare beforehand, but others had already paid. I handed over five silver coins, the amount we had agreed upon. The last passenger, the one sitting beside me, handed over three silver coins and five bronze coins. The driver immediately started arguing, claiming it wasn¡¯t enough. He threatened to remove the boy from the cart if he couldn¡¯t pay the full amount. I didn¡¯t want to get involved, but I couldn¡¯t just ignore it either. I took out two silver coins, handed them to the driver, and asked him to return the five bronze coins to me. He complied. The boy turned to me with gratitude and said, "I¡¯ll never forget this kindness. I promise I¡¯ll repay you someday." Taking a closer look at him, I noticed something peculiar¡ªhis ears. They resembled those of an elf, but they weren¡¯t as long. "Are you a hybrid?" I asked. "Yes. How did you know?" he replied, looking curious. "I¡¯ve seen some before. Your ears gave it away," I admitted. "I see¡­ are they that obvious? Anyway, I¡¯m Leon Purpleton¡ªhalf-human, half-elf." He extended his hand toward me. "I¡¯m Kex Tejowrath, from Malaket Town." I shook his hand in return.
A Suspicious Night We travelled for hours, and as the sun dipped below the horizon, the driver stopped the cart. He announced that we would rest here for the night. However, I couldn¡¯t shake an uneasy feeling about our surroundings. The road was enveloped in darkness, and the eerie silence made my skin crawl. Something about this entire situation felt off. The driver called us over for dinner, handing each of us a bowl of soup and a piece of bread. Just as I was about to take a bite, Leon grabbed my hand, stopping me. "Don¡¯t eat it. The food is laced with sleeping powder. If you take even a single bite, you won¡¯t wake up for an entire day," he whispered. At that moment, I noticed shadowy figures emerging from the trees. I immediately stood up and shouted, "Everyone, stop eating! The food is drugged¡ªthrow it away and come to me! We¡¯re not alone! There are some other present here." Realizing the gravity of the situation, the other passengers obeyed without hesitation. A large orc, wielding a massive axe, stepped forward and smirked. "Well, well¡­ this is a first. A mere brat figured us out before we could even begin. I must say, I¡¯m impressed." Beside him stood the driver and a foxanoid¡ªa humanoid creature with a fox¡¯s face and tail. "Yo, driver, you led them too deep into the forest. We usually do this at the entrance, remember?" the foxanoid sneered. "There are three boys and two girls¡­ I¡¯ll take the girls. Foxy, you handle the guys," the orc chuckled darkly. The driver grinned and proposed a bet: "Let''s see which of them has the most money. Whoever guesses right gets a 50% share, and the other two split the rest." "Fine by me," the orc agreed. "Works for me," the foxanoid nodded. Suddenly, one of the girls burst out in rage. "So, it was you! You¡¯re the criminals behind the missing students! I heard about this¡ªstudents heading for the academy entrance exam have been disappearing. My sister was one of them!" Her voice trembled with fury. This was no ordinary robbery. This was something much darker. And we were right in the middle of it. The Wrong Route - 2 The girl started chanting a spell, creating a ball full of concentrated wind from the air. The foxanoid started running towards her with dual daggers in hand at quick speed and leaped at her. At that instant, a thunder attack was shot at her. Even though she blocked it with her daggers, the impact pushed her back. When I looked beside me, I saw Leon holding a wand in his hand. "Very good, Leon! You did a great job attacking her at that moment" - Kex The girl then shot her wind strike at the foxanoid, but this time, the orc stepped in and deflected it with his big axe like it was just a gust of wind. "Looks like this time, it¡¯s gonna take a while to kill all of you. Interesting... I''ll kill the boys first and have a nice meal with the girls later," the orc said, his eyes filled with both lust and confidence. After the orc''s declaration, I wielded my sword and asked my companions to take up whatever weapons they had. Standing in front of everyone, I said, "Do not fear the orc or the foxanoid. Just back me up¡ªI¡¯ll fight the orc, and the rest of you take care of the foxanoid." The orc charged at me, swinging his axe towards my head. I took my stance and parried the attack with my sword, but the axe¡¯s pressure was too strong. The orc continued his relentless full swings from all directions, and all I could do was parry them. "Southern Sword Style, huh? I fought someone with that same stance before¡­ Parrying until the right moment to end it in a single critical strike. Do you think you can kill me with those basics today?" the orc taunted. He then took a stance, holding his axe backwards before lunging at me. I parried his attack, but this time, my sword couldn''t stand the attack and broke in two. I glanced around and saw that the others were keeping up with the foxanoid, one was using martial arts attacks, and another girl was using bow and arrows, while the driver stood by the carriage, watching the battle like a spectator. I had trained in the Southern Sword Style for a year. Though I had only learned the basics, I excelled at critical strikes rather than parrying. My master had once told me: Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! "The Southern Sword Style, also known as the Generous Sword Style, was created to show mercy to opponents. But, when necessary, it delivers a single decisive strike to eliminate them. That is the way of the Southern Sword." At that moment, I realized¡ªif I didn¡¯t kill this orc and his companions, we would all die here today. Even though I had never killed anyone before, for my sake and for the others, I would do it. I took a stance, bending my knees with my broken sword in hand, and charged at him at my maximum speed. The orc swung his axe in fury, but I dodged his attacks, and I lunged forward at full speed, piercing my broken sword straight into his stomach. Without hesitation, I dragged the blade downward, tearing through his gut. The orc dropped his axe, collapsed to the ground, and screamed in agony before his breath faded away. The foxanoid turned her head to see what had happened. Upon seeing her comrade lying in a pool of blood, her face twisted in devastation, and she charged at me with killing intent radiating from her. Leon shot another thunder spell at her legs, causing her to stumble and fall. I pulled the broken sword from the orc''s body and walked toward her. As I got closer, she began throwing her daggers, screaming for me to stay away. I grabbed her by the neck, lifted her, and sliced her body in two. Her yellow blood splattered all over me, its smell utterly revolting. Meanwhile, the girl used her wind slashes to kill the driver before we could even question him for information. I cleaned myself with water, changed into fresh clothes, and we gathered in the cart. Sitting together, we shared what little we knew about the route ahead, but none of us had any idea where we actually were. We divided the money collected from the dead equally among ourselves. The boy whose used martial arts introduced himself as Akon, saying he knew how to drive a cart. We entrusted him with the job, and we set off once again, moving forward into the dark forest. Due to the fatigue from battle, I fell asleep. When I woke up, I was shocked¡ªthe entire road was covered in mist. Feeling uneasy, I asked Akon, "When did this mist start?" "Out of nowhere, it just appeared," he replied. As we continued forward, we spotted a human figure standing in the distance. As the cart drew closer, the girl who had killed the driver suddenly jumped out and ran towards the figure. With a joyous voice, she shouted, "Big sis! Big sis! Where have you been all this time? I thought you were killed by those criminals!" But before any of us could react¡ªthe human figure transformed into a gigantic centipede with humanlike face and wrapped around the girl tightly. She didn¡¯t even realize what was happening. She was under hypnosis. The Hanging Tree Everyone was in shock; it was my first time seeing a creature like this. A creature with a worm¡¯s body and a human¡¯s face¡ªit was quite a horrific scene to behold. We shouted at her for some time, and even though it couldn¡¯t respond, I left the cart and started moving toward the girl, slow and steady. As I approached, the worm monster released the girl and backed away. I was puzzled by its sudden behaviour, but when I looked in front of me, I saw the corpse of the girl¡ªher body torn apart, her internal organs spilling out, half-eaten. I lifted my head to see the worm monster smirking at me, its tongue licking the blood from its mouth. I felt fear¡ªa humanoid creature, so different and gruesome, unlike anything I¡¯d ever seen in my life until now. My mind swirled with all kinds of thoughts: fear, bravery, guilt for not saving the girl. I wondered, Should I fight it or escape from here? I gathered my courage and warned everyone in the cart not to come out unless it was an emergency. I wielded my sword and ran toward the worm monster with all the speed I could muster at that moment. I lunged at it and tried to cut off its human head. I succeeded in slicing it off, and for a moment, I thought I had won¡ªbut my happiness vanished quickly as the head regenerated in mere minutes. When I tried to get closer, it used its body as both a sword and a shield, attacking and defending itself at the same time. Just as I thought it was getting tough, reinforcements arrived from the cart. They began using their long-range attacks, which became quite helpful to me. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Suddenly, I thought of burning the monster. Though I was weak at magic, I had learned a basic Agni spell that produced a fireball¡ªa spell that took me nearly a year to master. I chanted the spell, created the fireball, and hurled it at the worm monster¡¯s human face, which I figured would burn more easily than its sturdy body due to its human-like features. The face burned and then regenerated. I kept casting the spell at its face every time it regrew. But then, three more of the same creatures appeared and attacked the cart. Akon was killed first¡ªhis martial attacks had no effect on the monsters. Next, the girl with the bow and arrows was slain. Leon put up a decent fight until the three lunged at him, tearing him apart and feasting on his internal organs. I, too, lost my stamina and energy due to the excessive use of spells and sword attacks. With its sharp legs, one of the creatures cut me to pieces¡ªthat was the last scene I saw before I died. When I opened my eyes, I found myself tied down with ropes, a cloth stuffed in my mouth. What I saw completely shook my mind: just moments ago, I had died, and now I was back in the same place where I had killed that orc. In front of me stood a tree with people hanging from it. When I looked closer, I realized they were none other than Akon and the girl with the bow and arrows. Beside me was the girl who had lost her sister, bound in the same position as me. A hand came out of nowhere and started dragging her backward. I tried to shout and scream, but no sound escaped. Then I saw a figure I recognized all too well in that moment¡ªLeon. He was dragging the girl to the tree by a rope tied around her neck. He hanged her on the tree, and as she screamed in agony, Leon began to laugh like a madman. He then approached me and whispered in my ear, ¡°Did I wake you up, my Kex?¡±. The Hanging Tree - 2 I wanted to scream like hell, but my mouth was stuffed with cloth. I wanted to beat the crap out of that bastard right now, but my hands and legs were tied. All I could do now was nothing. "So, how was your dream? You survived much longer in your dream than I expected. Well, these idiots died really fast in their dreams as well as here." Leon came and sat beside me and questioned me about my dream. I was trying my best to tear the ropes. It was nearly impossible because they were made of slime, which gave them high elasticity. When I used all my strength to break them, they just stretched and strained my hands. Leon looked at me and said, "Oh, I forgot you had cloth in your mouth, right? That¡¯s why I was wondering why you still aren¡¯t answering my question." He removed the cloth from my mouth and held it in his hand. "You fucking son of a bitch, I will fucking kill you right now," I shouted furiously. He stuffed my mouth with the cloth again. "You know what, Kex? At first, I thought of going to another cart, but you insisted on helping me and even paid for me. That means you were the reason for their death; you even paid for your own death," Leon spoke while preparing the rope for the hanging. After struggling for a bit, I threw the cloth out of my mouth. "Why are you doing this? For what purpose are you killing these innocent people? Did you kill all those missing people?" I asked him. "Wow! You are great, you threw the cloth out of your mouth. Well, I do not have any purpose, I guess. No, I didn¡¯t kill everyone who went missing¡ªwe take turns and kill people. This much information is enough for you to be satisfied, right? After all, you are going to die right now." Leon caught the rope tied to me and started dragging me towards the tree. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. He stopped at a place where it was easy to throw the rope for hanging. He started tying the rope tightly to my neck. It strained my neck and made me unable to breathe. As I was struggling to do something, I tried to tear the ropes tied to my hands. There was no result, but I kept trying. Suddenly, a big branch struck my head¡ªLeon was the one who hit me. Blood ran out of my head, and I slowly started to lose my vision. Everything went dark. Suddenly, I felt some lights in the dark. When I opened my eyes, I was not at the tree in the forest. I was at another place, which looked like a hospital, as I was on a bed and could see other patients. The room was big and made of white marble, but my concern was that everywhere I looked, there were only young people. I saw about ten people, and they all were young. A nurse with a bowl on a tray was coming towards my bed. She saw me awake, then ran back to the entrance door and left the room. What might be the hurry for her to run like that? I thought. I lifted my back from the bed and leaned against the wall. I started to think that the last thing I remembered was spending my last moments with my family before leaving. I slightly remembered taking the passenger cart. But I couldn¡¯t think of what happened next. Even after thinking hard, I didn¡¯t get any idea or reference. Meanwhile, at the same time, I was observing every incoming and outgoing patient. I noticed one common thing in all of them: they wore the same clothes¡ªsame cloth, same uniform, young people¡ªwhich meant those people were students, and this was an academy. The nurse entered the room again and walked towards me with a female student following her. Both ladies came towards me. The nurse asked, "Are you fine? Do you feel pain anywhere in your body after waking up?" "No, I feel absolutely fine. If you don¡¯t mind, can you tell me where I am and how I got here? I can¡¯t remember how I ended up here," I straightened up and questioned the nurse. "To be honest, you had an accident. The cart you were on fell into a valley due to some issues, and I, who was near the area, heard the crashing sound of the cart and came to rescue. While you and the cart driver were the only ones present at the accident spot, we admitted both of you to the academic clinic. The driver woke up yesterday and left," the female student who followed the nurse explained all of my questions.