The Psychopathic Beast Emperor

The trial battles had been going on for two days now, and so far, everyone was participating, whether they were disciples with masters or not. Many duels had happened, with people showcasing a variety of skills and prowess. There were wins, losses, and draws. All in all, it was a very interesting and entertaining occasion. At least for most of them.

Gabi sat with a shocked expression, his hands shivering as he looked at Elder Hakar as if he’d announced his execution. It was his turn to duel, and that wasn’t the cause for his shock. After all, Gabi was most likely part of the top 5 among the new disciples. The cause of his shock, though, was his opponent.

His opponent was Bahamut, his role model, his motivation to keep pushing forward, the person who indirectly influenced the meek lizard to shed his soft scales and take on the scales of a dragon. Bahamut was the one who caused Gabi’s recent evolution. Gabi had evolved from being just a common lizard-kin to a lizard-kin with an ancestral bloodline. That was evident with his long horns and his pale skin, which made him look sick, but his presence exuded brutal grace.

"Bahamut versus Gabi!"

Elder Hakar announced again with a smile, his first smile when announcing the next duelers. It was like he had planned it, and for some strange reason, all the elders were present for the day. Most of them weren’t attending after the first day, so their coming today was enough to tell the audience that something big was going to happen.

Bahamut lightly patted Exildra and Lily on their laps and walked down towards the stage with an expressionless face. Sel and Ren stared at him with faint grins as if they knew what was going to happen.

"He’s finally going to face someone like him," Ren said with a chuckle.

"I guess we are getting a new friend, and a very strong one at that. Gabi is at the Circle of Initiation," Sel added with glowing eyes.

Gabi landed lightly on the stage with shaky steps. Despite the suffocating aura around that made even those tiers above him feel the danger he posed, his current appearance was that of a very weak person. Bahamut, seeing this, smirked, his grin widening into a mad smile.

’This will be very interesting!’ He exclaimed in his mind.

Gabi smiled nervously at Bahamut, his legs still shaking. The sight was comical yet intense as everyone could feel it. This was unlike the previous battles. No!

This was a battle between two monsters. One monster appeared weak, but was actually very strong and dangerous, while the other appeared strong, which he was, but he was also mad.

"H-Hi..." Gabi said with a stammer, stretching out his hand for a handshake. Bahamut took it, still smiling.

"Hi."

"We met sooner than expected," Gabi said with a nervous chuckle, making Bahamut raise his left eyebrow in confusion.

"Than who expected?"

"Than I expected. I’m your fan, maybe the biggest one."

"Whoa! Guess it comes with the looks. You don’t look bad yourself. Watch out for horny men."

"Haha! They will die before they even get close to me."

Gabi was six feet tall, the same height as Bahamut, with white skin intricately covered with dark green scales. The scales were lined beautifully on his body. His hair was short, beautifully forming around his new horns that looked somehow draconic. That and his stature stood out the most. He was very slim, almost malnourished, and that made Bahamut’s senses spike up. And he was also a bit feminine with his looks. You could say... he was beautiful.

"Dangerous..." Bahamut muttered with a smile. He had finally met his equal, not in terms of power or strength, but in monstrousity and danger.

"Huh?"

"Nothing. You don’t mind if I take off the blindfold?" Bahamut asked.

"No. I’ve always wanted to see how your eyes look!" Gabi answered a little bit too enthusiastically.

"Okay..." Bahamut looked at the feminine guy with a suspicious glint and took off his blindfold. Gabi gasped in shock at the strange eyes with stranger pupils.

"You are not afraid?" Bahamut asked.

"Afraid of what?" Gabi asked in confusion.

"My eyes..."

"Nope. They are awesome, almost like mine when it happens..."

"When wha-"

"START!"

Elder Hakar intervened, shouting for them to start their duel. It was one of the most anticipated duels among the elders.

Bahamut tied his blindfold around his neck and distanced himself from Gabi. Gabi also moved back. When they got into position, Gabi shouted to Bahamut.

"Go easy on me!"

"With pleasure!"

That was when the whole sect realized just what kind of monsters they were keeping. Even Aerith, who did find the duels... exciting, sat up with a shocked expression, because what had just happened wasn’t on the level of Tier 1s. The floor of the stage had cracked and split into two, and the two combatants hadn’t even moved from their positions yet.

Gabi had changed very much after the trial of survival. He didn’t need a trigger to use his strength as he did some time ago. He could control it very well now, especially after his evolution.

His eyes glowed as they changed into serpentine slits, purplish in color. Ever since he evolved, he’d been hearing a name. A name that sounded very much like his surname. In fact, it made his surname whole, but the most bizarre part was that he couldn’t remember the name, although he knew it was there. It was as if the name didn’t want itself to be known yet. Well, that was for the future. For now, he would try to win this duel against his role model.

Bahamut stared at the crack in the middle of the stage and smiled.

"I knew it!"

He exclaimed as he crouched, his long hair fluttering as his aura exploded outward.

"Don’t hold back... My new friend!" Bahamut shouted.

Gabi paused in shock...

"Friend? Friend..." The word sounded foreign to him, but..."I like it!"

BOOM!

This duel would be remembered forever.