The Underground Emperor of Ionia

Since it was a fighting pit with no restrictions on weapons, he naturally had to exploit the rules to the fullest. That was the sort of professionalism any seasoned fighter needed.

There was a row of sharp iron spikes hidden in his gloves.

Like brass knuckles.

Only far more brutal.

"Do you know how I got the title 'Skull Crusher'? ... I'm going to make you taste the pain of all those losers..."

Avase took a deep breath, his massive body radiating immense pressure.

He was getting serious now—using his weapon to crush his opponent's skull.

"That's what I should be saying to you." Sett chuckled, his body bouncing lightly—a boxing footwork pattern just like the one his opponent had used earlier.

"Pathetic imitation... Die!"

Avase roared and threw a right punch, faster and stronger than before.

Sett didn't dare take it lightly and immediately raised his arms to block.

But he'd still underestimated the power of those "knuckle-dusters."

Smack! In an instant, the sharp spikes pierced the cloth and skin, sinking into his flesh.

The intense pain made Sett furrow his brow, while the weakness in his arms alarmed him even more.

Avase gave him no chance to catch his breath, unleashing another flurry of heavy punches.

Pfft, pfft, pfft! The spikes tore through flesh with increasing frequency, and soon the ring was splattered with blood.

Just as expected, Sett was driven back into a corner of the ring.

The audience erupted into another chorus of cheers. Their bet on Avase was going to win! They were going to make money!

"Weren't you acting all cocky just a moment ago?" Avase's face twisted, his laughter sounding downright sick. "Come on, then! Come on, kid!"

"I know what you are! A Noxian-Vastaya mongrel!"

"You damned mongrel! You should've run off with your coward of a father!"

"Die! Die!"

Sett said nothing, using his arms and fists to shield his vital spots as his body was soon left "riddled with holes."

But there wasn't a trace of despair in his eyes.

Only excitement and anger.

The pain was beginning to numb him, and the blood stirred the wildness in his bones.

He'd had enough... of being called a mongrel.

Just because his father was Noxian and his mother was Vastaya, did he have to endure all those insults and all that discrimination?

Just because his father had abandoned them, did he have to suffer the malice of the world?

Wasn't he the first victim of all this?

"Are you done yet... or not?!"

Sett swung his right fist.

The ragged strips of cloth wrapped around his knuckles had snapped, revealing an iron fist glinting with gold.

Avase saw the fist coming. He even predicted its trajectory, but...

He couldn't move.

He felt an utterly terrifying pressure.

He wanted to run, to dodge, to block with his fists... but his body no longer obeyed him.

All he could do was watch as that iron fist drew closer and closer.

Until it slammed into the bridge of his nose.

Thud!

Boom!

His enormous body shot backward as if struck by artillery, only stopping when he crashed into the floor below the ring.

The floor beneath him shattered on impact.

His skull had been completely deformed. Blood and some kind of bodily fluid gushed out as his limbs stiffened and trembled uncontrollably. He looked like he was already half-dead.

The noisy, chaotic fighting pit fell silent in an instant.

Everyone stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

Only Chen Ce wore a smile that showed he'd expected this all along.

"Remember this, all of you! My name is Sett!"

On the ring, the last fighter standing, Sett, vented all the rage and exhilaration in his heart:

"I'm not a coward like my father! I was born strong!"

"If anyone dares call me a mongrel again, I'll make sure they leave their life in the ring!"

"I am Sett!"

Then he walked straight off the ring, roughly snatched the night's grand prize—a pair of dazzling Imero Stones—from the trembling bunny girl, and raised them above his head, roaring his claim to the glory of victory.

After witnessing this stirring spectacle, Chen Ce changed his mind. He'd originally planned to challenge that night's champion and snatch the Imero Stones from under his nose.

It wasn't that he lacked the courage, nor that he thought he couldn't beat Sett. With the skills he'd mastered, even Sett at his peak, when he would later become the Underground Emperor of Ionia, wouldn't stand a chance against him.

He simply... had other plans.

It hadn't been easy for Sett to go from a half-Vastaya who was cursed, mocked, and humiliated by everyone to where he was now. If Chen Ce went up there and beat him, taking away the glory he'd fought so hard to earn, that would be downright despicable.

Sett was counting on tonight's prize money to take good care of his poor mother, after all. He was famous throughout Ionia for being a devoted son.

In any case, there were other ways to get the Imero Stones.

You could even say there was a better way.

That was...

to go through his mother.

Chapter 45: The Lady Who Never Aged

Beneath the night sky, Ionia's scenery was enchanting. Strange plants that gave off a faint glow illuminated the way home.

Sett bound the wounds on his arms with old strips of cloth, then used the blue cloth bag he'd brought with him to wrap up the prize money and winnings from tonight.

The coins clinked in his bag, giving off the sweet scent of money, but all he could think about was his beloved mother.

That kind, gentle, beautiful, and pitiful Vastaya woman.

She had fallen in love with a Noxian, a gladiator in a fighting pit... They'd had a son together, a "half-beast" boy.

The people of Ionia couldn't accept their forbidden union and drove her out of their community... but she'd still been happy.

Because she had a beloved husband and an adorable child.

Sadly, that happiness hadn't lasted long.

That Noxian, that fighting-pit gladiator... Sett's biological father had left without a word one peaceful morning.

He'd never returned, and his wife and child had been powerless against the malice of others... People drove the poor mother and son away again and again, and vented their spite on them without restraint.

Rumors and gossip, curses and mockery, slander and harassment... the trouble never stopped.

Yes, ever since that Noxian gladiator had left, the people who couldn't resist wagging their tongues whenever they saw Sett had decided the time had finally come to speak their minds.

Young Sett had been confused. He didn't know where his father had gone, or why he suddenly found trouble wherever he went.

As he grew older, Sett gradually came to understand.

He grew up fast, learning to ignore people's taunts and insults. Before long, he learned to use his fists to make them shut up.

He also understood why his father had left.

His father was an irresponsible coward, a loser who only knew how to run from his responsibilities, a... worthless bastard.

Later, he found the underground fighting pit—the place where his father had once fought.

He realized that was where he was meant to be.

After just a few fights, he'd earned more than he used to make in half a year or longer—even though he'd once sworn to his mother that he'd never set foot in the underground fighting pit where his father had fought.

No matter what, he never wanted to go back to the way things had been, when anyone could bully him.

No matter what, he would never leave the underground fighting pit.

And he wouldn't tell his mother.

Thud.

Sett stopped in front of the shabby little house and pulled out an equally shabby key to unlock the old front door.

The candlelight still glowed inside. The kind, gentle Vastaya woman was still awake.

"Sett, where have you been?" His mother's voice was a little cold.

Well, whatever her tone, the moment he heard his mother call him by his full name, Sett knew he was in trouble—trouble harder to deal with than any fighter in the underground pit.

Mom's nagging was a lot scarier than Avase's jabs.

"I went to work," Sett replied. "There was a lot to do today, so..."

"So you were busy until the middle of the night?" The woman shook her head and sighed softly.

"Sett, I don't want to disbelieve you... and I want you to be honest with me, too."

"I'm telling the truth." Sett sounded fairly sure of himself, but his eyes had already begun to dart away, and his head dipped.

"If you say it's true, then I'll believe you."

"Yeah... thanks, Mom."

"Get some rest."

"Wait..." Sett stopped his mother as she turned to leave, then shook a handful of coins out of his bag—one-third of the prize money he'd won tonight.

It wasn't that he was selfish and wanted to keep most of the coins for himself. He simply didn't dare take out too much at once; that would make it even harder to explain what he'd been doing.

"My goodness, that's so much money!" Sett had been careful, but his mother was still shocked by all the gleaming coins.

"Sett, where did you get all this money? You can't earn this much doing carpentry!"

The woman furrowed her brow, her voice growing even colder.

But beneath the coldness, she was more hurt than anything.

She was afraid... afraid that her only son had gotten mixed up in something dangerous... Maybe something illegal, or some filthy, backbreaking job where he risked his life...

"Listen, Sett. I don't need this much money. I only want you to be safe! If this money came from somewhere shady, I want you to give it back. If you earned it through your own hard work, I want you to promise me you'll never do this again!"

"This really is... carpentry... I got a big job today..." Seeing his mother truly angry, Sett's prepared lie caught in his throat, and his words turned hesitant.

His mother's gaze made him squirm. He stammered, unable to get a single complete sentence out.

Fortunately, just as things reached this "critical moment," a gentle knock suddenly sounded at the door.

"I'll get it!" Sett immediately headed for the door as if he'd grabbed a lifeline. "Mom, you go get some rest! We can talk about it tomorrow!"

"If you don't explain everything to me tonight, I'm not going to sleep." His mother remained firm.

Sett felt a headache coming on as he cautiously opened the door. He was a little worried that someone from the underground fighting pit had tracked him down. Maybe they wanted money, or maybe they wanted revenge for the big idiot who'd lost his championship title tonight.

Sett had already clenched his right fist, ready to throw a powerful punch at any moment.

Creak—the old wooden door dragged a long mark across the floor and let out a grating, unpleasant sound.

Then Sett saw two people.

A human man with empty hands, and a Vastaya woman carrying a basket of fruit.

Before he could react, the man burst out laughing and gave him a warm hug.