Undead Beast Master: Living Solely for My Desires

"Holy shit, I'm so glad I got a ticket to watch the tournament live!" a man exclaimed, grabbing a handful of popcorn and shoving them into his mouth.

He was waiting for the next fight to start.

"Sure, but while they are cool to relax to, it feels like they've become needlessly explosive!" another man sitting next to the first complained.

"Well, that is for a reason, you know! After all, watching young protégés beating the shit out of each other is a sight to behold!" a third one joined in.

Overall, the mood around the arena was pleasant, which was a welcome change.

After all, the Draconian Empire was currently at war with the Crimson Sun Empire. While the war hadn't escalated into a full-blown confrontation, it still made the general men and women uneasy.

And that was without even counting the fact that the Purifiers had stopped spreading their religion in the empire, causing even more stress.

But it was thanks to the emperor and his incredible insight that he had prepared this grand tournament for the population to enjoy.

Not to mention that he had even created these orbs that allowed one to watch the fights even if they were far away or if they couldn't afford the expensive tickets.

"We really are blessed," a woman muttered as she threw a glance at the emperor.

The way he sat, his golden hair dancing in the wind while his golden eyes watched the fights, made the common people admire the emperor more and more.

He was a deity who had come to save them.

If it wasn't for that great man, their empire would have surely fallen a long time ago. If it wasn't for him, their spirits would have surely broken a long time ago.

Of course, some criticized him for his strict laws, but many believed that peace could only be achieved through firm rules—at least, that was their belief.

But unfortunately, the pleasant mood didn't stay present for long as the next fighters entered the arena.

A man on the shorter side with white hair and green cat-like eyes.

The one who had managed to earn first place in the hunting competition by killing two Epic beasts alongside his team.

The one who had killed his opponent in a brutal way in the previous round.

Zaroth.

He was a controversial figure.

Some understood that the fight had been too close to announce a winner without one of them dying.

While others thought that because he had killed someone, he should be disqualified.

But seeing as the emperor had decided to keep him in the tournament, most people weren't that vocal about their complaints.

Questioning the emperor's judgment was a one-way ticket to hell. But still, they couldn't help but whisper negative things about Zaroth from time to time.

"He shouldn't be allowed to be here. I mean, look! He walks forward as if he isn't a murderer!"

"Glad he's here. Every time he fights, it gets exciting."

Zaroth stood tall in the arena as he spared a glance at the audience.

The atmosphere was clearly negative, but he tried not to pay attention to it.

He had debated with himself this week, and he came to one conclusion.

He acknowledged that he didn't want to kill his opponent in the 13th round. But the matter was already settled.

The only thing he could do was continue forward. If he stopped because of guilt, it would all feel meaningless.

He had killed before, so he was going to treat this incident as the others. Even if he didn't want to kill, he would do it if the situation called for it.

Even if the person in front of him didn't provoke any personal anger, he would kill if the situation called for it.

As long as there was a benefit, he would do it, regardless of any personal feelings.

'But what if I know the person? What if they are my friend?'

Those were the questions that had haunted him as he came to terms with his decision.

Sure, he could somewhat forget and ignore killing people he didn't want to kill, but what if they were close to him?

Would he be able to kill someone like Lily, Roran, Zack, Midnight, Elysia if the situation forced him to?

He didn't know, and as such, he decided not to think about these hypothetical situations.

If that day ever came, he would make a decision based on the available information then—not now.

So, having made up his mind, he straightened his hand behind his back and took hold of the odachi.

With one swift motion, he brought it out.

He had some experience with it as he had fought against his beasts with it for a week, but this was the first time he was going to test it against a human.

His eyes darkened as they focused on his opponent.

A tall woman with black hair and blue eyes.

Of course, Zaroth had checked what his opponent was capable of before the match started.

She was able to use some kind of illusions. Later, he came to know that her class was most likely—Trickster.

While they didn't have much fighting power themselves, their strength typically came from turning their opponent's power against them.

So, for instance, if Zaroth summoned Silverfang, the woman could theoretically make a perfect copy of his wolf.

And not just one, but dozens. This was the same with all his beasts.

While Zaroth felt a connection with his beasts, in the heat of battle, there was always the risk that an illusion would slip past him before he realized it was just that—an illusion.

This could prove catastrophic, so Zaroth had spent some time debating how he should approach the fight.

Summoning all his beasts could help him overwhelm her quickly, but she could easily trick him as there would be too many moving pieces.

As such, the best way to fight was to limit these pieces.

So Zaroth wasn't going to use any beasts in this fight. He was going to fight solo against the woman.

"What luck, I will be able to test my new weapon better this way," he muttered with a smirk on his face.

Gripping the odachi with both hands, he made his center of gravity lower as his eyes focused on the target.

In response, the woman put out her right hand in front of her, and a ring appeared, as well as a twisted smile on her face.

The emperor announced the start of the fight, and Zaroth dashed forward.

His opponent was weak, so the best way to win was to attack as fast as pos—

He stopped.

As well as his heart.

His mouth opened widely as he began to take ragged breaths.

His heart was going to explode.

Sweat began to form on his forehead.

He wasn't in pain.

Nor was he scared.

In that moment, he felt only shock.

As the arena, alongside the audience, seemed to disappear.

As well as the woman that was supposed to be his opponent.

Instead, in her place stood a woman with a familiar silhouette.

White hair that was spilling on one side and brown eyes—the same kind he had before making a contract with Luna.

His words got caught in his throat for a moment. In the end, he could whisper only a single word.

"Mother?"