Chapter 35 - Reason to Fight Cnt. (1/2)
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On the other side of the door was a long dark corridor leading to the stage. As he was walking, cheering sounds from tens of thousands of people could be heard. There was the smell of iron and sweat in the air, with some blood stains here and there.
The closer he got to the light at the end of the tunnel, the faster his heart beat. He put his empty hand over his face and when he removed it, the mask had appeared. Although he could do it without moving a muscle, it just felt more natural this way.
As he got closer to the end of the corridor, the sounds of people cheering and screaming got weaker and weaker.
”What am I fighting for?” he mumbled lost in thought.
”I have no place to call home, no loved ones or anybody that would really care if I was gone. Why do I want to become stronger?” he said as he started walking in a strange manner, with his shoulders raised and chest puffed out, left, right, left, right, with every step the power of his first meridian, the Emperor's Dominion, started circulating through his legs according to the pattern described in Demonic steps.
An unknown pressure descended in the corridor. If someone was there they would have no desire to fight, no desire to live or to die. The entirety of their being would want to submit before Hao Xuan, not even daring to meet his eyes, let alone take up arms against him.
Subconsciously he opened his right hand as if grabbing at something, and the Glaive appeared with a wooshing sound.
The same glaive that he couldn't lift before now felt as light as a feather. Was it because he leveled up so much recently or some other reason?
With every single step, the ground near him vibrated a little, as if something massive was coming.
”What is it that I live for? Why must I become stronger?” he spoke loudly, the voice echoing in the empty corridor.
”To see the world?” the images that he was shown during his inauguration appeared one by one like a slideshow. The many different races, monsters as big as entire planets slumbering deep beneath the surface of the earth and the ocean, demons from the depths of hell itself, experts hurling planetary bodies at each other during fights. Incredibly marvelous images flashed past his eyes, some of the images weren't even included in the inauguration.
His eyes gained a red hue along with their natural green color.
”No, that is 'a' reason, but not 'my' reason,” he shook his head, still in a strange state of mind and almost at the end of the corridor.
”Emi would still love big brother no matter what!” suddenly a cute little voice sounded in his head and an image of a little girl holding a stuffed bear, two ponytails, big black baby eyes, and an assuring face appeared.
A goofy smile crept upon Hao Xuan's face, ”Promise?” he asked extending his left pinky finger.
”Mhmm” the little girl nodded extended her hand and made a pinky promise, and then vanished like smoke as if an illusion.
”I remember. How could I ever forget about you?” he said still smiling and walked out of the corridor while still using Demonic steps.
As soon as he stepped out onto the stage his first meridian thrummed and a faint pressure descended on the entire Colosseum which was several miles long. It wasn't harmful to anyone but instead made everyone ashamed to look at him.
Hundreds of thousands of eyes turned towards him instantly. Even the fights going on the other stages stopped, both beasts and humans stopped whatever they were doing and looked at him.
The beast he had chosen was called Giros and was about two meters long. The second Hao Xuan walked out, all of its confidence went down the drain and its legs buckled and it fell on the ground, not even looking up at him.