The world is peaceful, they say, but the pillar that maintains peace is somewhat gruesome.

In a land called Judas, a large city that is part of the Samarnon Empire that is widely known as the rulers of the west.

A married couple, dressed in expensive clothing, was entering a majestic building that exuded extravagance.

They wore masks that hid their faces, but with a glance, anyone would know they came from a prestigious family.

"Welcome, the event will be starting soon," said the guard that stood at the entrance door.

The married couple nodded and headed inside without wasting any more time.

The interior of the building was too dazzling to be called average; chandeliers with bright gems intact were seen on the ceilings. A never-ending red carpet that leads through the corridors and expensive art portraits were seen displayed through the walls.

But at the end of it lies a mysterious door guarded by two more guards.

The guards opened after seeing the married couple.

A staircase leading down with several torches hanging onto the walls was seen. The married couple headed down, and after a few minutes, they finally reached a large door where noises could be overheard.

The noises were nothing more than simple cheers. As the two opened the door, a bright light greeted them.

And before them was a large stadium crowded with people, cheering nonstop like wild roars of a lion.

In the center of the stadium, two people could be seen. Both were undressed and were only wearing undergarments. They were both wounded and bruised, to the point that their bodies were completely drenched in their own blood.

The two roared at each other and started charging with the intent to kill one another.

While the two entangled themselves in a deadly match, the people above were cheering for them, treating them as mere entertainment.

This was the harsh reality that pillars the peace of the world. The hidden secret to achieving world peace is to oppress and control the weak in order for the strong to stay on top and gain absolute authority.

The peaceful world, where every person thought, always had a gruesome secret.

After the two fought to their death, there was no one that survived.

A man dressed in expensive white clothing, wearing a bird mask along with a hat, appeared in the center, grabbing the audience's attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen! The battle has concluded to be a draw; both participants died in battle," he said, announcing the outcome.

The crowd felt distraught and booed the announcer to such an extent.

"Come on, don't be like that! The final event is about to take place, so no need to feel down since the Shadow will be appearing tonight!" The man excitedly stated.

The crowd, who felt down, gained a boost from the announcer's words and began cheering once more.

"For the final event, the Shadow himself will fight the Champion of Judas! This will be a deadly fight, so be sure to watch and bet on those who you desire!"

The crowd screamed in excitement as they chattered aloud.

"I'll bet on Shadow!"

"No, you should bet on the champ! He isn't titled the champ for nothing!"

"Even so, Shadow is something!"

"Yeah, I'm betting on shadow!"

People began deciding on whom to bet on for the upcoming match.

A rising star known as Shadow and the Champion of Judas, who remained undefeated for over two years.

It was a match-up that lit the battle fanatics' hearts to the max.

"Without further ado, I introduce you, Shadow!" The announcer shouted, raising his arm to the left side of the stadium where light began shining.

A man with messy hair that covered most of his face, a slender-fit body, and wearing nothing but undergarments was seen coming out of the left gate.

He held a dull sword in his hand and was calmly approaching the announcer.

With his appearance, people began chanting his name.

"Shadow, shadow!"

"Shadow, be sure to win! I've bet my entire life savings on you!"

Shadow took a glance at the crowd and saw their joyous expressions.

"Another day, another battle." He muttered in silence.

"And in my right corner, the undefeated, the honorable, our mighty champion, Gazel Armstrong!" The announcer said, boasting the glory of the champion, Gazel.

A tall man with a mountain-like physique appeared; his hands were large to the point he could crush a human head like an egg. His sharp brows and fierce, slanted eyes made him intimidating.

He held a large axe, and despite not wearing any clothing, his large body was so sturdy that it could be seen as armor.

"Gazel! Gazel! Gazel!"

"Our champion shall destroy that pipsqueak!"

Cheers from the audience grew wild as both fighters faced one another below their overwhelming screams.

"I will crush that beautiful face of yours and turn you into a munchkin, brat," Gazel said, mocking Shadow's slender physique and facial features.

Shadow remained silent, ignoring Gazel's remark.

Gazel felt annoyed toward Shadow's ignorant behavior and was riled up to rip him to shreds.

But little did he know that Shadow wasn't an opponent for him in the beginning.

The announcer took a step back and spoke one last time.

"This will be the final match for these two, for whoever wins the match will be granted freedom! So without further ado, let the match begin!"

Gazel smirked, knowing that this was a gift for him.

The reward was set off to free Gazel at the beginning since they knew that Gazel could never lose to anyone.

Meanwhile, Shadow flinched upon learning the reward for this match.

Wasn't it a training privilege? But rather, freedom?"

Is what he thought and was surprised.

Just as the bell rang, Gazel instantly pounced across the stadium and raised his axe, thinking he could slice Shadow in a single stroke.

But before he could swing his axe, his point of view somehow turned upside down.

Huh? What's going on?"

Gazel wondered, unable to comprehend the situation.

To everyone's surprise, Gazel's head was seen rolling on the ground, his blood pooled on the ground as his body fell and collapsed.

The audience was extremely shocked, to the point that they could not believe what they'd just witnessed.

"Huh? How did Gazel end up like that?"

"I didn't see what happened, and look at Shadow; he's still standing on his spot."

"He didn't even move; how could Gazel's head fly just like that?"

Everyone could not understand how the undefeated champion died so easily without his opponent moving from his spot.

The announcer himself was also shocked to the point it left him speechless.

Shadow, who was still standing on his current spot, struck his dull sword onto the ground.

"I have defeated Gazel; now grant me the freedom as you've said."

Shadow stated, his tone sounded calm, like he didn't even exert much effort fighting Gazel.

"Uh, yes! Of course, yes!" The announcer replied in a surprised tone.

"What? He beat him just like that? We didn't even see the fight clearly!"

"Yeah, we came all the way here just to see this, and it ended in a blink of an eye!"

"Give us a refund! Or make him fight another fighter!"

The crowd became aggressive as they wanted to see more rather than what Shadow performed.

The announcer went silent; he was in complete confusion. But before he could speak, Shadow agreed to the people's request.

"Fine, bring me another fighter. I'll fight him as you all want, but bear in mind, this'll be the last fight."

The crowd began expressing their joy; they did not care about Shadow's fleeting victory; they only wanted to see more action.

The announcer sighed and felt relieved that Shadow proposed it first.

"As per Shadow's request, I shall summon the next challenger!"

*Whoa!*

The crowd went wild after seeing the unannounced challenger step foot onto the stadium.

It was the man striving to be the top fighter, the one that sought to defeat the champion, Gazel.

The second in ranking below the champ itself, Arnold Weisburg.

The man known for his extreme and brutal methods, the Slaughterer, Arnold.

"It's the Slaughterer!"

"Finally, we get to see him in action!"

The slaughterer didn't fight for the last two weeks and was in seclusion to ready himself against the champion. But to his surprise, the opponent he wanted to face so much was lying on the ground without a head.

"What the heck? So my opponent isn't Gazel, but that pipsqueak?" Arnold said, his tone sounded annoyed and dissatisfied.

Arnold had a near-comparable physique to Gazel; if Gazel was known for his overwhelming capabilities, Arnold remained second due to his brutal monstrosity.

"So this will be my final opponent," Shadow muttered in silence.

The two confronted each other with their gazes battling like thunder.

"The final battle will be against Arnold Weisburg, known as the Slaughterer! Bear in mind, if Shadow were to lose, Arnold would receive the reward and would be granted freedom! So without further ado, let the match begin!" The announcer said and immediately fled the stadium, leaving the two to stand against each other with a stare-off.

"Freedom, eh? Thanks for the opportunity, pipsqueak!" Arnold said, smirking in excitement as he swung his giant sword towards Shadow.

Meanwhile, Shadow took a step back in order to dodge Arnold's wild attack. Arnold continuously swung his sword to the point it resembled a wild boar charging vigorously towards its prey.

But Shadow, who didn't want to disappoint the crowd by giving a fast match, was continuously dodging, evading by an inch just to make Arnold feel slightly at an advantage.

Arnold yelled in excitement, knowing he had the upper hand.

"Kuhahaha! Now you know the difference in our power, pipsqueak! I'll show you how I'll turn you into mincemeat!"

Shadow remained silent as the crowd continuously cheered both of their names.

"What the hell are you doing, Shadow!? Fight him!"

"Quit dodging like a rat and fight him like a man!"

The cheers turned into dissatisfaction as Shadow only evaded Arnold's attacks.

And after a minute passed, Shadow saw Arnold panting. Knowing he exerted much strength in his wild attacks that couldn't even lay a scratch on him.

Shadow then raised his sword and began his counterattack, instantly initiating a head-on battle against an opponent who's three times bigger than him.

The two began exchanging blows; the crowd was shocked that Shadow could keep up with such heavy attacks that Arnold released.

But before their low understanding, Arnold, who was the one experiencing it firsthand, was utterly shocked at how Shadow completely outmaneuvered his attacks.

He's not simply exchanging blows; he's exerting less force to parry my attack and change the trajectory of my blade!" Arnold thought, unable to believe that such a slender guy had the ability to counter his brutal ways.

While Arnold kept attacking with full force like a tidal wave, Shadow was like a calm river, swaying the flow of the tidal wave and exerting less energy.

The exchange continued and forced Arnold to take a step back, knowing he was running out of energy compared to Shadow.

"Fuck, you dare tire me!?" Arnold shouted angrily, annoyed at how Shadow fought him.

"I was just giving the audience what they wanted," Shadow replied calmly, while his complexion remained the same.

Arnold felt angry after hearing Shadow's words, while the entire crowd roared above them, completely enjoying the spectacle that's occurring before their eyes.

"Fuck, stop playing around, pipsqueak, and fight me properly!" Arnold roared, charging like a bull with all his strength in order to finish the match before he runs out of energy.

Meanwhile, Shadow acknowledged his demand and performed a stance with his dull sword raised above his head, pointing the tip of his sword towards the charging Arnold.

"As you request, I shall face you seriously from now on," said Shadow.

Arnold ignored Shadow's words and charged at him at full speed. But just as he gazed over Shadow, who was standing before him, without even blinking, the man before his eyes vanished like lightning.

Before he could stop, his body was severely sliced into pieces, turning him into mincemeat while blood gushed all over the place and swamped the ground.

Shadow was seen behind the dead Arnold, ending his stance as he exhaled calmly with his eyes closed.

The audience got silent, unable to believe their eyes that such a technique existed.

After a brief moment of silence, roars of the crowd shattered it.

"What the fuck was that!?"

"Did you see that? He just disappeared and appeared behind the slaughterer like a damn wind!"

"I could clearly see him swing one time, but to severely slice Arnold into pieces, what the heck is up with his speed!?"

"I clearly understand now why he was titled as the Shadow! Because the only thing that his opponent could see was his shadow!"

"Hooray for shadow!"

"Shadow! Shadow! Shadow!"

As the audience grew wild, chanting his name, Shadow remained calm and glanced at the ceiling above.

The announcer himself could not utter a single word, unable to comprehend the ability that Shadow possessed. It was a god-given talent in his eyes. A being gifted by the grace of the sword itself.

Meanwhile, Shadow swung his dull sword to remove the blood and spoke silently.

"I can finally see the sky." were the last words of a slave before he became a free man.

Chapter End.