The Dawn of the New World



Hao Xuan tried to sit up but could barely even move.

"What do I...have to do? I don't have...enough strength...to stand...let alone...fight."

Xu Qing gestured towards the sea of consciousness surrounding them, "Then ask for help, you're not alone."

"The souls?" he frowned, "They are already...dead. What could...they do?"

She almost seemed offended at the insinuation that they couldn't be helpful.

"Even the Elder Gods respected and revered the souls of mortals that don't even live for a fraction of their lives. And even in this day and age these new gods and goddesses trade in mortal souls because it is the most powerful currency...that was the problem from the start."

She seemed saddened at the mere mention of it.

"But there were some souls that refused to listen, refused to greet their masters on bended knee. So the Gods punished them, locking them away in worlds where they would be born into endless cycles of misery and torment...unable to escape their fate."

"He...the Emperor, he deceived me into helping him break those souls out of their karmic cycles but rather than let them be free, he kept them for this exact moment."

She stood up with a heavy sigh and opened her arms. Ethereal wings of pure divine light began unfurling behind her, their light slowly melting the frozen sea.

She faltered as the zone of influence of her divine light continued to expand further. Her figure was beginning to flicker away from the intense expenditure.

"Those souls are just like you, they want to fight against the ones who try to control them so all you need to do is give them a chance. Even after having lost most of their essence they are still here, watching....waiting for someone to step up."

"This is YOUR inner world, your consciousness, and your body. Anything is possible as long as you have the resolve to make it happen. The Emperor thinks he can use them, control them without paying a price but you, you have their ear. Call out to them and they will answer!"

***

Outside, the Emperor noticed the change almost immediately. Hao Xuan's soul that was on the verge of dissipating was now, all of a sudden, trying to put up another fight and...he knew exactly who was to blame.

All his rage shifted towards the perpetrator. Wisps of golden light began taking shape behind him as he spoke.

[I can no longer ignore this betrayal, old friend]

It was in the shape of a great spear, slowly getting bigger by the second but Jin Wang could not move even an inch since he was locked into that position to keep the spell going.

The Emperor raised his left hand and wrapped it around the spear while its power rose to unprecedented levels

[Worry not old friend, our efforts will not have been in vain. I will knead this body into a weapon worthy of our cause] his voice was getting louder alongside the spike in energy. And it wasn't just for Jin Wang and Mr. Hyde but also for all the other spectators that were watching from far and wide.

[Fuelled by the pain of the oppressed, on this anvil of fate itself, I will create a sword with which to fight the Heaven's Will]

Jin Wang could only watch as the Emperor threw the spear straight for him. It teleported through the barrier and appeared inches away from his chest.

At this point it was too late to dodge even for him, not that he had any plans to.

The spear made contact and pierced through him without any resistance. Jin Wang tried his best to keep the spell going while trying to defend against the attack but even with his immense focus and concentration that was not a possibility.

The spear was made from the soul energy of the Emperor so it didn't have much of a physical effect. But it exploded on contact, offsetting the balance required to keep the spell going and then the energy of the spell backfired on him.

His abdomen immediately caved in and all of his vital energy was released in one fierce explosion.

"AAAAH!" he let out a scream while his body underwent immediate physical degradation.

He aged a hundred years in the blink of an eye and when it all settled down, just a frail old man was left behind who couldn't even stand on his own.

Long white hair, sunken cheeks and withered skin. He was a far cry from the man from just a few seconds ago.

Jin Wang staggered back and fell against the wall, breaking several of his bones in the process. But the look in his eye was not one of defeat.

"A worthy...sacrifice..." a weak murmur escaped his lips.