Chapter 103 - Death Walk (End)
Kuo let out a sigh of relief as he fell down to his chair. "I don't know what the hell is going but it seems to have worked itself out.....right?" he mumbled to himself.
The Khan residence was completely silent. Sam, Mr. Khan, and Kay sat in front of the screen, watching without making a sound. Sam's fist was clenched tight, so much so that it had turned white.
"I want to be like that too," he thought looking at Hao Xuan's bloody appearance.
The other captains finally relaxed a little bit seeing as Hao Xuan had regained his senses.
***
"If that's all he has then this will be very boring," said the man with a winged tiger on his back as he looked at the screen.
"I'm definitely stronger!" thought the teenager while rubbing his spear gently, like a lover.
"Sister, Did you see? He is an animal but not enough to be on your level," said the girl proudly to the Captain of the Valkyries, who didn't reply but silently watched.
The 17yr old girl in full black armor also watched the Walk on her own Spirit Band, but she was smiling. A smile enough to brighten anyone's day.
***
The rocks slowly rolled out of the gate and then rolled towards one another, making a humanoid figure that was about 10 feet tall. Compared to the other monsters it wasn't 'scary' at all. It just looked like something a kid would make.
Hao Xuan clenched his fists looking at them, "Let me show you 'Force'," he smiled while circulating the Qi from his 3rd meridian.
An invisible shockwave spread out from his feet and the dust around him got pushed away.
"Hahaha, come on! Show me what you got!" still smiling, he shouted and started running towards them. He didn't use demonic steps or any other kind of power/technique and simply circulated the Qi from his third meridian.
The distance between the rock monster and him was about 1500 meters and he wasn't running fast at all, rather it was so slow that even some mortals would be able to outrun him.
As he circulated the Qi, every single step of his sent small tremors through the ground.
*BAM*BAM*BAM*
Bit by bit he built up the momentum, at the 1000 meter mark a shield made out of Force Qi appeared in front of him and all force he had built up from his previous sprint exploded outwards, sending him shooting forward like a meteor.
*BOOM*
A sonic boom sounded as he broke through the sound barrier, charging 'through' the rock monster and sending pieces flying everywhere.
"Oh fuck oh fuck oh-" after going through the monster like a hot knife through butter, the momentum was too much and he couldn't stop himself from crashing straight into the other gate.
*BOOOOOM*
With a booming sound, the gate that was made out of a treasured metal slightly bent inwards.
The entire, several kilometers large colosseum, slightly shook. It wasn't even enough to move the dust but the fact that everyone present still felt it was enough to stupify them.
The protective formations of the Colosseum activated on their own and stopped it from causing any damage.
"What the fuck was that?!"
"Holy shit, did you feel that?"
"Is he even human? what's wrong with this guy?"
The crowd erupted into an uproar.
"I-I can't feel it, my head, is it still there?" Hao Xuan slowly pulled himself out of the dent.
His head was completely covered in blood and there was a crack along the side. He tried to move back but fell down to his knees.
"Gonna feel that tomorrow," he mumbled while trying to stand up but his knees kept buckling.
"Ninth brother, you shouldn't use a power that you can't control, it will only harm you more," Third's voice sounded in his head.
"I, I know brother, that was just a test. I'll be more careful from now on," Hao Xuan spoke out loud since he couldn't use telepathy just yet.
It took him a few more minutes to regain his senses and stand up. Thankfully the rock monster was blown to bits in the first clash otherwise he would have had to forfeit since he was in no condition to fight.
Slowly he moved back to the other gate and shouted, "Next!"
He didn't bother using JUST the force Qi alone from then onwards and took out the sword and fought normally. Although the fights took a while but none of them were actually a challenge. By using the Emperor's Qi he lowered their defenses and attacked when they were dazed.
It took two hours or so until he had cleared the first eight rounds.
He fought all the creatures from Origin Realm Stage 4 to Stage 8 and slowly used them to increase his mastery over the Qi of Force. Now he had much better control and could utilize it in many more ways.
With the combination of Emperors Qi for debuffs, Sundering Energy from his second meridian and Force Qi from third, he could easily handle most beasts, although the Qi consumption was a LOT and he had to take two breaks to recover it completely.
He didn't pay attention to anything else and just focused on the enemy in front of him. One after another the events of the Death Walk left the spectators speechless.
"Is he going to be the 5th person to clear the Death Walk?" asked a cultivator from one of the VIP rooms.
"How long has it been since the last time?" asked his companion in return.
"I'm not sure, but its been almost a hundred years or so. And so far, he hasn't even used any heaven-defying techniques or treasures," the other cultivator shook his head.
"If he can actually do it, then this will be a monumental event," the first cultivator mumbled looking at Hao Xuan's image.
***
Right now Hao Xuan was breathing heavily and was covered in sweat from head to toe. In fact, he had sweat so much that all the blood had been washed away by it.
"Ninth brother, you've broken through and have gotten used to the new Qi now. There's no reason to keep going. You used your own power to reach this stage and have proven how powerful you are, just stop here," Fifth pleaded while looking at him struggling to even stand.
"Haha, Fifth sister, don't worry, I can last a bit longer. And how can I give up when I'm so close?" Hao Xuan innocently smiled back.
"Fifth sister, its fine. A man has to see his own limits. And we're right here, nothing will happen to him," Seventh interjected. His words carried a lot of weight since he rarely said anything at all.
*Huff*Huff*
"Next..!" Hao Xuan said trying to slow his breathing.
"...."
"Hmm?" the gate didn't open.
"NEXT!" Hao Xuan shouted loudly thinking they didn't hear him.
*Voooosh*
A massive hologram appeared above the arena, it was the same man that had first introduced the beasts and Hao Xuan.
"Congratulations Captain! Our future is bright when there are juniors like you to lead the new generation!" he said while giving a light bow in Hao Xuan's direction.
A lot of people from the crowd agreed with him and nodded their heads. There was no doubt that he was extremely powerful and would be even stronger later on.
"Unfortunately at such short notice, we couldn't get any Origin Realm Stage 9 and above beasts. Fortunately, the Beast Hall has stepped up and are willing to lend a few for this special occasion."
Then he stopped and looked towards Hao Xuan.
"As you may know, the Beast Hall only breads the most powerful and bloodthirsty creatures for the Kingdom and other powers, so although your next opponents are at Origin Realm Stage 9, but even cultivators of the Spirit realm would not be able to defeat them easily."
"If you choose to stop here then it will still be counted as a win for you since you fought multiple opponents and defeated them righteously."
He paused for a few seconds and then continued, "But if you decide to keep going then the chances of you coming out unscathed are less than 5%. We strongly recommend going with the first option."
He then went silent and continued looking at him for an answer.
"Wow, the beast hall sent some? Isn't that a bit too much?"
"Too much? They literally create monsters. There's a reason why so many strong powers are willing to befriend our kingdom. Its just plain stupid."
"Yeah, they must have a reason to do this."
"I would just give up and go home. Why risk your life for no reason? He's gonna win either way," said a young man while adjusting his glasses.
"Hah! Of course YOU would give up, don't compare yourself to him," his friend rebuked, ruining his scholarly vibe and sending the surrounding crowd into laughter.
Hao Xuan looked up at the hologram and made up his mind pretty quickly. He wasn't here to win, just to become stronger. And there were still a few moves he hadn't used yet.
He looked up at Third, "Brother, do you have a potion to recover Qi?" he shouted.
Third was taken aback by the sudden request for a few seconds but then he waved his hand and a small bottle appeared which he threw towards Hao Xuan.
Hao Xuan caught it and emptied it in his mouth without hesitation.
He then looked up at the hologram again and smiled, "Next!"
The man seemed like he was expecting the answer and started laughing, "Good! Good! this is how it should be! Young blood needs to burn hot! It would be very disappointing if you had backed out. Now, show us why YOU were chosen as a Red Legion Captain!" he waved his hand and the gate on the other side opened.
All the spectators, be it in the Colosseum or watching elsewhere, held their breaths while looking at the gate.
"Be ready!" Third said to the other captains as his body tensed up, ready to jump in at a moment's notice.
"Why are men so thickheaded?" Fifth mumbled looking at her brothers.
Hao Xuan circulated the Qi from all three meridians at once, activated Wrath of Deimos and Infernal Rapture.
Since the beginning of the Death Walk, this was his first time using Wrath of Deimos. He made a basic armor that covered him from head to toe, leaving only his eyes visible.
"ROAAAAR" a deafening roar came out from the gate, sending debris from the previous rounds flying everywhere.
The shockwave hit Hao Xuan who was standing in the middle of the field almost a 1000 meter away from the gate and he had to take several steps back.
"The fuck!? Just its roar has this much power?!" he steadied himself and created a barrier of Qi to block all the debris.
*Boom*Boom*Boom*Boom*
Sounds akin to canons being fired came out from inside the gate as the beasts slowly walked out.
"Impossible! How can it be these things?"
General Yue Fei who was sitting in the control room suddenly stood up from his seat in shock, looking at the new arrivals.
Even the guard that had a nonchalant expression throughout the Walk suddenly tensed up looking at them.
"N-No! The captain has to forfeit! There is no way he can defeat them!" Kuo shouted at the screen.
All the other captains that were standing around arena erupted with different types of Qi, Seventh being the strongest of them.
But the normal crowd had no idea why everyone became so serious all of a sudden.
*Boom*Boom*
Both the beasts finally came out of the gate. They were about nine meters tall, almost the same height as the first layer of seats in the sitting area.
One of them was completely red and the other green. They had the body shapes of gorillas with the upper body being several times bigger than the lower body. Their arms had giant spikes protruding from them, as did their faces and heads.
Their muscular bodies seemed to be brimming with power. And perhaps the strangest thing was the expression on their faces, which seemed strangely.....human. (Link to pics in authors note)
Hao Xuan actually looked like an ant in front of the 30+ feet tall monsters.
He looked up and his mind went blank for a second.
The hologram of the man above the arena smiled and looked around at the confused crowd.
"These two little kids are called 'Hell Apes'. For those that are not aware, these beasts are VERY distant relatives of one of the Supreme Beast clans that rules over the continent of 'Primis'. They have a similar bloodline to the Divine beast 'Simiae' running through their bodies."
"The Beast Hall had to spend innumerable resources to bring these little babies to life. And even though their bloodline purity is only about 2%, as you can see they are not be underestimated in any way." The man in the hologram grinned ear to ear looking at them.
"My god, a divine beast bloodline?!"
"Well it was nice knowing ya Deimos!"
"That dudes so dead."
Such similar conversations could be heard all around the kingdom.
"Are you fucking serious!? Is the Beast Hall using this event to show off their latest product?" Eighth shouted angrily.
"Third brother, we can't have him fight these monsters," Fifth said from the side.
"I agree, this is too much. Even we can't take them on easily, let alone Ninth brother," Fourth also agreed with her.
Third looked at the beasts and then at Hao Xuan. "Brother, what do you want to do? If you want to fight then although it will be a bit difficult, but we can suppress them somewhat," he said somberly.
Hao Xuan looked up and down the Hell Apes and although he was scared shitless, he still wanted to give it a try.
"Fight, I'll fight," he said after a few seconds.
"Alright," Third nodded and then said something to the others. Fifth wanted to say something but he shook his head and stopped her.
They all extended their hands and let out a sliver of Qi which slowly mixed together with one another and formed a multicolored chain. It went down and swiftly entered the two beasts bodies and their cultivation fell from Origin Realm Stage 9 to 7 instantly.
The beasts howled in anger and tried to break free but it was no use.
"Ninth brother, you have 5 minutes at most, use everything you have. We can't keep this up for too long," Third shouted with gritted teeth. They were using everything they had to suppress the beasts, so much so that even using telepathy wasn't possible.
The man in the hologram frowned looking at them but just as he was about to speak up, his Spirit Band vibrated. He looked at it and then the hologram disappeared.
*ROAAAAR*
*ROAAAAAR*
Angered by the reduction in their cultivation realms, the Apes roared and charged towards Hao Xuan.
Even though they were technically weaker than before, but their bodies were still massive and every step sent tremors throughout the field.
Hao Xuan's heart started beating faster and faster. He took out the Glaive and one after another unleashed the Qi from his meridians.
First came the Emperor's Qi.
*ZZZZT*
A massive pressure descended on the entire arena. He wasn't planning to drag this fight out so he used every single ounce of Qi available.
The charging Apes slowed instantly and their powers fell once again. They tried to roar once more but before they could, there came the second burst of Qi.
Sundering Qi from the second meridian was let loose, he held back absolutely nothing.
The ground around him lacerated and a red energy covered the Glaive.
There were small gnashes on the Apes bodies already.
And then came the third burst of Qi.
*BOOOM*
A muffled booming noise resounded throughout the Colosseum as Force Qi erupted forth like a wild bull. It hit the beasts head-on and stopped them in their tracks.
A second brownish-white energy covered the glaive.
The armor surrounding his body shattered like glass since he couldn't keep up the Qi supply.
Then the black lightning from Infernal Rapture covered the glaive, increasing its power even more.
Hao Xuan's arms became bloody just from holding the glaive and small cracks started to appear on its blade.
His long hair were flying in the wind generated by the amalgamation of forces, as he stood there doing everything possible to not be blown back by the sheer destructive power.
He smiled looking at the Apes in front of him and shouted, "BROTHERS! Be careful! I can't control this strike!"
He held the Glaive sideways as his expression turned solemn. With closed eyes he mumbled a single word before swinging the glaive across.
"SUNDER!"
All the noise in the world died down and a bright white light covered expanded outwards quickly, engulfing everything in its path.
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*
"Oh shi-" the expressions of all the captains worsened instantly and they let go of the chain suppressing the beasts and put all of their Qi into the pillars below them, making the barrier light up.
*TREMBLEEEEEE*
The entire colosseum shook like it was about to collapse and protective formations lit up one after another to suppress the energy.
"Haahhhh!" All the captains were using everything they had to keep the barrier from breaking, yet it was no use.
One after another cracks started to appear on the barrier but just as it was about to break, General Yue Fei and the Guard appeared above the field and held out their hands.
Their Qi reinforced the barrier and immediately healed all the cracks and made it light up even brighter.
A minute or so later things settled down but no one said a single word.
The light from the attack slowly dissipated and everyone could see the aftermath.
Hao Xuan was standing in the middle of the field. There was a huge crater in front of him but there was no sign of the Apes anywhere. Not even a single drop of blood!
With a gust of wind, the cracked Glaive turned into dust and blew away.
His hands were bleeding profusely and there was a bit of blood coming out from the side of his mouth, but his face adorned a resplendent smile.
He looked up at Yue Fei and the guard and said, "I give up," before falling down, unconscious.
"...."
"....."
"WH-"
"WHAT?!"
The kingdom exploded with mayhem.
***
Rocks: https://i.pinimg.com/564x/14/49/1b/14491b3535367b051ad4f938a8470c25.jpg
The hell apes: https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/paragonthegame/images/0/0c/Rampage_Wasteland_skin.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20161020165717
and
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/paragonthegame/images/f/f3/Rampage_Default_skin.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/864?cb=20160826205156
(from the game Paragon)