There were tears in those human’s eyes. But that monster’s face was impossible to sympathize with.

"You?! Hachi must have told you!" Minato growled. His goat legs pushed him forward in a blinding speed.

The Mantis Blades sliced at Carter once more. However, it was still stopped. A faint white aura protected Carter.

"It’s futile. Why don’t you understand?"

Carter flicked his finger at Minato once more. He flew away like a fly and crushed beneath the rocks of the wall.

The man didn’t even turn back. He dug it way up and ran away.

His mind might be tortured for many years but his sharp sense was still there. That white-haired girl, whoever she was, showed him a power he couldn’t resist again.

He had his freedom in his hands. As soon as he ran away from here, he could build everything again. Another Demonic Poison Sect. Another influential political force. And once more, he would be the Grandmaster that everyone feared.

Carter bent his index finger. Minato shot back down to the well and rolled a few times.

He coughed out a lot of blood.

"What do you want from me, witch?!" He roared. His voice was rasp.

Carter approached him. His entire body gently glowed like he was some sort of saint.

The white-haired maiden in the white Hakama sat down. She reached her hands at him.

Minato jerked back at first but let her touch his cheeks. He heard something so he looked up.

Two glimmered lines on her face. Lines of tear.

"What... Why are you crying?" Minato widened his eyes.

"I saw your past." Carter placed his thumb on Minato’s forehead.

They were transported back to a scene in the past. This wasn’t true time travel, only an illusion to show the events that had long passed.

Minato stood there. Underneath him were pile of corpses. Those that came to kill him died. And he survived.

He was a genius Fighter since the earlier day.

Then another memory. Minato created his own Martial Art, called the Demonic Poison, the same name of the sect he would name in his future.

He lost his way. Instead of leaning onto his talent, he found shortcut. That shortcut was poison. Poison killed fast. Poison killed without sound. Poison killed without knowing.

Murasaki Minato gained the name, the Cruel Demon of the East. He would do anything to win.

Then time passed by. He created the Demonic Poison Sect, married his wife, who was the most beautiful woman at the time. But they couldn’t have kids.

So he poured his fatherly instinct toward his students. Those that he would teach like a father. But would also punish like enemies.

Among those students were Hachi. A farm boy with no last name. He had no high origins like Minato but he was a lot like him. Hachi had talents and he’s smart.

But Minato didn’t understand that those harsh punishments he gave and the cruelty he passed on daily would plant a seed in Hachi.

And without his knowledge, Hachi also took an interest in his wife, who was still the most beautiful woman at the time, despite her age.

Hachi defiled her, causing her to have his baby.

Minato killed his wife and the unborn child. Then he killed all his official students because the betrayal of one. Minato was slowly and slowly became more deranged.

That was when he had lost. For many years past, Minato thought back to that moment. Poison killed fast. Poison killed without sound. And poison killed without knowing. And Hachi had found a poison that Minato couldn’t even think of.

The poison of the mind. It was not figuratively. It was literally a poison that could affect the mind.

Did Hachi had feeling for Minato’s wife? Yes, but no more than a play thing. He did what he did just because that would cause the poison to spread deeper, lowering Minato’s own strength.

Once the plan had worked, Hachi struck. Minato lost.

And he lost everything. His family. His students. His sect. And his fame.

But Hachi didn’t kill him. He kept him alive to further experiment on Minato. He didn’t do it out of vengeance either. He just did it because it amuse him.

Minato lost because there was someone even crueler than him.

The monster knelt down and cried too. This time the white-haired swordsman hugged him. Her body was still glowing white so Minato couldn’t even hurt him if he wanted to.

’Ah... Crying emotional scene. Haven’t do this in a while.’

"You are cruel, Minato. And you deserve judgment. But what you’ve gone through exceeded for more than anything you have done."

The Transcension Aura flooded within Minato. He widened his eyes and looked at the white-haired girl in surprise.

Her skin was breaking.

"I shall give you another chance. A chance to redeem the past. A chance to become something more. And a chance for revenge."

The turtle shell detached itself. The Mantis Arms melted away like acid. The goat turned to ash and a new pair of human leg slowly returned.

His face. That of a monster. Was no more.

"What did I do to deserve such forgiveness?"

"You don’t." Carter’s soft voice echoed. "And that’s why you will have to prove it for forevermore. You shall become the second Guardian of the Shrine. Your mission, should you choose to accept, is to protect this world."

Minato gulped. He bowed down. His hands wrapped around the white-haired girl’s knee like a child.

"Master..."

This title was for a teacher. A parent. Someone that you looked up to. Not the master of a slave.

And that was what exactly Minato thought of her. He was moved.

The maiden pointed her hand at Minato’s chest and drew. A single word appeared.

愛

"Shall this guide you in the future. And shall this always remind you of your responsibility." Carter’s soft voice echoed.

"I, Murasaki Minato, will protect this world from this moment on and forever more. If I betray this vow, have the sky crush my soul, and the earth bury my spirit."

The word etched on his skin and his soul. His vow had been acknowledged. He earned his second chance by swearing under a Transcendent and received the approval of the World.