The Grand Duelist

He was angry...

He felt fury...

Seeing the humiliation and disgrace that the two women suffered under the hands of these depraved soldiers.

Joseph didn't even suppress his power anymore as his spiritual energy surged.

In an instant, he covered the tent and the surrounding thirty-meters of area inside an independent space. 

At this moment, all sorts of evil thoughts surfaced within Joseph's mind.

Kill...

Kill...

Kill...

Kill them all!

Leave nothing behind!

Not even dogs and chickens shall be spared!

How dare these bastards... How dare they touch Miss Linda and Abigail?!

Images flashed across Joseph's mind.

On a certain afternoon, two decades ago...

Joseph had trouble pacifying the fierce subordinates of Matthew.

It was Miss Linda who stepped forward and acted like a domineering marchioness, subduing those men and making them subservient to Joseph.

As for Abigail...

She was a cute little child who visited the restaurant three times a day for some Egg Fried Rice. 

Joseph could never forget her face whenever Joseph teased him that he won't give her any Egg Fried Rice anymore if she was naughty and rebellious to her parents.

But now...

What did these soldiers do?

Joseph's eyes landed on the miserable figures of Miss Linda and Abigail.

His fury and towering killing intent seemed to take over his mind.

Fuck...

What is this?

What is going on?

Joseph was panicking. He regained some clarity.

But then he remembered a certain detail from before this phase of the King's Trial started.

My body...

My body is the body of an evil cultivator!

Faced with rage, my killing intent is bursting with power.

Fuck, what should I do?

It was quite a feat that Joseph was still able to maintain his consciousness all while under the assault of the evil thoughts from the Art of Discord and Disorder. 

Wait... This is actually pretty tame...

The whispers...

They can't compare to the bewitching whispers of that Demon of Deceit and Temptation, Gelial!

I can do this!

Joseph gnashed his teeth.

Pain washed over his body as the anger reigning in his fight combined with the killing intent deep in his soul.

Ah... Fuck... I'm losing control...

Joseph's eyes started bleeding as soon as he inwardly let out roars of fury and unwillingness.

Shit... Am I going to fail?

I'm about to complete this King's Trial, yet am I going to fail just because of some bullshit killing intent?

Images flashed across Joseph's mind.

They were the memories that the owner of his current body had gone through.

The flames of warfare wreaking havoc to an entire village.

The cries and aggrieved moans of violated women, and the death throes of men who fought till their last breath for the sake of their families and loved ones. Countless corpses were strewn across the land, faces of men distorted with fear, their bones slowly decaying into ashes.

And then there was Joseph.

He was standing at the center of this bloodshed with a look of excitement and an evil smile on his face.

Joseph gasped in fear.

His body started trembling like a sieve, but a fierce voice awakened him from his trance.

"[Get a grip, master! Are you going to let yourself be dominated by a mere inner demon?!]"

It was Pixie Fairy Elizabeth.

Her voice didn't contain any hint of gentleness that she had these past years. Instead, there was clear contempt in her reprimand as Joseph lightly chuckled.

Hahaha...

That's right...

I've endured twenty plus years just to reach this step and I'm going to be hindered by a mere inner demon? I'm not willing! No matter what demon you are, even if you are a demon that lives within me. You shall be expelled! Get the fuck out of my mind!

Joseph inwardly screamed and something clicked inside his mind.

[You gained comprehension of the Concept of Discord and Disorder.]

[A unique skill has been granted.]

[A unique skill has been granted.]

[...]

Several system notifications appeared right in front of Joseph as the murmurs of the damned close to his ears disappeared at once.

The pain that wreaked havoc on his body had vanished and he could finally open his eyes.

As soon as his eyes opened, an abysmal light of darkness seemed to flash across his eyes as he swept his gaze at the surroundings.

The soldiers who were astounded by his arrival had already collapsed from the sheer ferocity of Joseph's killing intent.

The women weren't spared by Joseph's killing intent that knew no foe nor ally. 

"Shit!" Joseph audibly cursed.

He rushed towards the naked young woman on the table.

His expression became as pale as a sheet of paper.

But it was Pixie Fairy Elizabeth who revealed her true condition.

"[Syphilis, Gonorrhea, all sorts of sexually transmitted disease. Most of her joints are broken and some quite severe hematoma... With injuries like these, I suppose... her mental condition probably isn't that good anymore, master...]" 

Joseph gnashed his teeth.

He turned towards the unconscious soldiers in anger and his spiritual energy involuntarily surged.

"Can you fix her up, Elizabeth?" Joseph asked.

Pixie Fairy Elizabeth went silent for a moment before she replied: "[Yes... I can do that, master... But... I can only heal her physical body... As for her mental health and condition. There's no way that I can do something about that, master...]"

"Fuck!" Joseph almost slammed the table in anger.

Pixie Fairy Elizabeth's words implied that even she was able to heal them properly. There was no way that they could regain the will to live. After being humiliated by these filthy and unscrupulous soldiers.

There was no way that these two would be willing to live in this world anymore.

But...

Shopkeeper Dan!

Joseph gasped in anger.

But at the very next moment, he decided: "Fix them up..." 

"[But...]" Pixie Fairy Elizabeth hesitated.

"No buts! Just fix them up!" Joseph fiercely retorted.

"[O... Okay...]" Pixie Fairy Elizabeth became nervous and tensed up when she heard Joseph's reply. 

A dazzling, yet comfortable light reminiscent of the arrival of Spring surged from Joseph's body and flew towards the bodies of the two women lying on the ground and on the table. The brilliant light enveloped every nook and cranny of their bodies and after a few seconds...

The light disappeared.

"[It's done, master... They're fully healed.]" Pixie Fairy Elizabeth replied in a courteous tone.

Joseph nodded his head and said: "Do you have the ability to make clothes?"

Pixie Fairy Elizabeth shook her head and replied telepathically: "[No, master... I can create an illusion that would make everyone think that you are wearing clothes, but an illusion is just an illusion in the end. It has no substance and the clothes that I can create from it won't protect you from the elements or the wind.]"

Joseph replied with a simple nod. Afterwards, his body temporarily disappeared from the campsite before reappearing inside the locked Fabric Shop of Shopkeeper Dan. He swiftly took two women's clothing before returning back to the campsite.

All of these took quite some time to describe, but everything actually happened in less than five seconds.

Joseph approached the two women with the clothes, but Pixie Fairy Elizabeth stopped him in his tracks.

"Master..." She manifested her physical form and appeared behind Joseph.

Joseph turned around and asked: "What is it?"

Pixie Fairy Elizabeth asked with hesitation: "What are you planning on doing, master?"

Joseph frowned, "Can't you see that I'm holding clothes? I'm obviously going to dress them up!"

Pixie Fairy Elizabeth puffed her cheeks and pouted after being scolded by Joseph: "Why are you getting mad at me, master? I'm just trying to say that you must not go and carelessly touch a woman's body! Let me handle it! I'll go and dress them up instead of you, hmmph!"

"Tssk, such a trivial problem. I'll just do it instead!" Joseph retorted.

"No! I will do it! Whether you like it or not. I will be the one to dress them up!" Pixie Fairy Elizabeth didn't back down.

Her eyes radiated coldness that awakened Joseph from his trance.

"Uh..." At this moment, Alice's pouting face seemed to overlap with Pixie Fairy Elizabeth's cold expression.

An awkward smile escaped on his lips as he handed over the women's clothes and said: "Okay, you handle it then..."

Pixie Fairy Elizabeth practically snatched the clothes from Joseph's hands before she went over to the two women. 

When she was done dressing them up, Abigail who was on the table slowly awakened.

Her eyes snapped open.

When she saw the unfamiliar ceiling above her and when the filthy stench of bodily fluids entered her nose.

Reality struck her as she started panicking.

"AAAHHH!!! Nooo... Nooo... Where am I? Mommy? Mommy, where are you...? Mommy!" Amidst her panic, she saw the gorgeous Pixie Fairy Elizabeth and she started whispering in shock: "You... Are you one of the Seven Gods and Goddesses? Am I now in Heaven?"

"No!"

"That cannot be! I didn't want to die, yet... I still haven't... I still haven't..."

Joseph had a pained look on his face when he saw the current Abigail.

Back then, Abigail was a cheerful woman who often teased Kenneth back at the restaurant.

She greatly respected Joseph's culinary skills and was even looking forward to being Kenneth's disciple in the culinary art.

But now...

She was far too different from her past.

Even though her body has been repaired back to before she was kidnapped by these despicable soldiers. The mental trauma that they had inflicted on her would forever accompany her throughout her entire life.

Joseph clenched his fists...

Is there really no way for me to erase the traumatic experiences that she went through?

Joseph's mind madly spun, but then an idea suddenly came to his mind.

Ah!

I know!

The Art of Discord and Disorder can directly affect the mind of others! If I use that art to create disorder between her joyful and traumatic memories. I may be able to erase her traumatic memories by selectively targeting them!

Unprecedented excitement flashed across Joseph's face.

He quickly moved, sending a quick chop on the panicking Abigail's nape.

Abigail's consciousness darkened, but before her consciousness could fully disappear. She seemed to have regained a moment of clarity for she uttered these words before her world darkened.

"You..."

"Owner Joseph...?"

She murmured before collapsing back onto the table.

"Master?!" Pixie Fairy Elizabeth jolted in panic.

She really didn't expect that Joseph would attack Abigail at this moment.

"Calm down... Don't directly jump into conclusions, all right?" Joseph explained.

"What are you planning on doing to them, master?" Pixie Fairy Elizabeth asked in curiosity. She couldn't help but ask when she saw the confident smile on Joseph's lips.

"Just watch and you'll understand!" Joseph didn't delay anymore. He opened his palm and summoned a Seed of Discord and Disorder. He stuck his middle and index finger close to each other before pointing his fingers directly at the center of Abigail's forehead.

"Master?!" Pixie Fairy Elizabeth cried out, but this time. There was clear panic in her voice.

She didn't expect that Joseph would directly use the Art of Discord and Disorder towards Abigail.

But when she saw the serious look on Joseph's face. She didn't dare to speak nor raise any questions anymore.

From what she had learned about her master in the past twenty or so years here in the King's Trial.

Joseph wasn't someone who would do random things without being sure of its success rate.

She decided to place her trust in Joseph once again as she waited.

A few minutes later, Joseph finally stopped and heaved a big sigh of relief.

Beaded sweat could be seen on his forehead as he said: "It's a success... Wheeew... That was harder than I thought."

He let out a smile.

Pixie Fairy Elizabeth nervously asked: "A success? What did you do, master?"

Joseph turned to look at her and grinned: "I erased all of her traumatic memories. I also inserted some fake memories that I constructed from her joyful memories so now she won't notice that there's a gap in her memories."

Joseph stood up and walked towards Miss Linda.

He did the same on Miss Linda and afterwards, he then said to Pixie Fairy Elizabeth.

"I'll transport them to the restaurant for now." 

"Huh? I thought master plans on reuniting them with Shopkeeper Dan?"

"Yeah, I planned on doing that, but this is not the right time. Shopkeeper Dan is in the middle of doing some logistics here in the camp and I don't think that I can keep on establishing independent spaces here at this campsite..." A wry smile escaped on Joseph's lips.

"What? Could it be that you are thinking that someone can possibly notice who you are, master?"

Pixie Fairy Elizabeth replied.

She found Joseph's words as quite ridiculous and absurd.

Joseph nodded, "That's right. I can't afford to underestimate the residents in this place, Elizabeth. Furthermore, there's only that Great-General Emilio whose cultivation was at least at the middle of the Core Formation Realm..."

"With his strength, I think he will be able to notice me if I keep on establishing independent spaces to rescue the others that I know here..."

Hearing Joseph's explanation, a stern look appeared on Pixie Fairy Elizabeth's face.

"All right, I won't disturb you any longer, master. I won't say anything anymore. From the looks of it, it seems like you are about ready to summon the Heavenly Tribulation." Pixie Fairy Elizabeth wore a sweet smile on her face.

But for some reason, unbeknownst to Joseph.

There were traces of sorrow in her eyes.

"Mhm! It's about time for me to return. I have people waiting for me to come back." Joseph returned her smile in kind and even ruffled her hair: "Thank you for everything, Elizabeth. Now, just stay back, watch the show and enjoy the ride, all right?"

"Mhm!"

Pixie Fairy Elizabeth nodded with determination as her body transformed into a ray of light. The ray of light that she transformed into flew directly towards Joseph's forehead and disappeared as if a stone dropped into the ocean.

Joseph carried the mother and daughter on both of his shoulders and abruptly disappeared from the tent.

When he reappeared, the mother and daughter were nowhere to be seen on his shoulders. He turned to the soldiers lying on the ground and he proceeded to erase their memories regarding the mother and daughter.

He also removed Old Two's memories regarding the encounter.

Joseph carried Old Two to a nearby tent and he awakened him from his trance.

"Uh? What happened? Oh? You're here! Now that I think about it. I still haven't shown you what soldiers like us have the privilege to use! Hehehe, oh! We're quite near to those tents! Come, follow me!" Old Two turned around and headed for a nearby tent, but Joseph stopped him with a chuckle.

"Hehehe... I already saw what you wanted me to see... It's definitely good, but I'm already quite old, you see..." Joseph lifted a bitter smile.

Old Two turned around and laughed.

"Hahaha! That's right! But even though we're already at this age. That doesn't mean that we can't watch, all right? Hehe, come... Follow me, let us judge the prowess of these young soldiers at that department." Old Two revealed a lecherous smile as he walked towards the nearby tent once again.

Joseph was about to stop him on his tracks when a fierce voice suddenly rang from the distance.

"Notice! Notice! Notice! We are about to deploy in the third quarter of the wu hour! Prepare yourselves! From now on, any soldier that dares to run away will be summarily executed without any room for appeals!" 

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