The Titan's Throne

Testing the Waters

"Hah!"

Then with a shout, Bastian lowered his foot with all his might.

*Boom!*

Another shockwave was created, this time with more intensity than the last.

The moment Bastian had touched the freak during his fall, using the fact that the restriction on his Soul Force had temporarily been lifted; Bastian flooded his Soul Force into the white-haired boy's body.

His target was the black energy. As soon as the body hit the ground, Bastian poured in as much of his Soul Force as he could into the boy, destroying any of the black energy he came into contact with.

Bastian could not do this carefully, since he did not fully understand the boy's body, so it was inevitable that damage would be done. But this was alright. Bastian had no doubt that the black energy inside the boy's body had been taken care of temporarily.

Whether it would help or not only time will tell.

Bastian observed the boy's body and saw that the huge injury he had caused to the boy's chest was not healing at a visible speed. This showed that his conjecture had been right.

Although the flesh could be repaired instantly, the energy was not the same. Bastian knew that high-level poisons that could replenish themselves like this often had spiritual awareness.

Their spirits could be attacked by Soul Force. If one damaged their spirit, then they could not repair themselves quickly.

Bastian's goal this time was simple. The black energy was everywhere in the boy's body. So all he had to do was flood the boy's body

with his Soul Force. Although the shockwave from before making the attack Bastian had made seem powerful, it was actually not that strong.

Bastian's Soul Force was just so potent that it was nearly tangible. Although Soul Force was an energy, it was also a force.

Momentum increased its effects, which is why Bastian had kicked the boy's body up, only to kick it down. He had hoped to use the force of two impacts to spread his Soul Force in the white-haired boy's body as much as possible.

That way he would be able to damage as much of the poison's spirit as possible. Although his e-vision had levelled up to the point where it could see the energy inside beings, it was still far from locating spirits. Thus Bastian had to resort to such means.

If Bastian had enough time, he could carefully sit down and examine the boy, taking care to remove the black energy and destroy the spirit of this incredibly vicious poison. Unfortunately, Bastian was in a match right now.

He had not forgotten. In fact, one could have said that be it amongst the observers or the combatants, Bastian was the only person who had not forgotten that this was a deathmatch. And that this match would not finish until the giant was dead.

Just what did you do to anger someone this much?

Bastian was wondering just what the boy had done to incite such cruelty upon himself.

Although Bastian was no saint, he did not like the idea of holding grudges, especially against children. Bastian still had the soul of an adult man, so he regarded the freak as a boy.

After looking at the white-haired boy one more time to make sure the black energy had calmed down, Bastian sighed in relief. The boy was unconscious again, except that this time he was not shivering. Although his face was still partially deformed, overall he was better in Bastian's opinion.

After his confirmation, Bastian turned around and looked at his remaining foe, the only thing blocking him from leaving this arena and getting some answers, in regards to where he was, and how he got here.

Bastian's expression was cold. Seeing what was happening to the white-haired boy had put a very bad taste in his mouth.

"Your name is Tate, right?"

Bastian's words snapped the giant out of his stupor. After coming back to reality, the giant nodded with a blank expression on his face.

Bastian smiled.

"Do not worry Tate, I did not forget about the fact that you also took my stuff."

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 as 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 of. 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 backstepped at the opportune time.

Without feeling discouraged, Tate continued to swing his large weapon with incredible vigour. 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 backstepping, 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.