Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
No God Emperor was robed in black, and his hair was tied up. His figure was intimidatingly tall and wide.
“It is a great honor for me to know I am now hosting the almighty No God Emperor. I implore you to take a seat, and I hope you find the hospitality to your liking,” Lotus Empress stated.
No God Emperor was not there to participate like the rest, however. He responded by saying, “I am here for the fruit; each and every one.”
The guests and hosts alike were shocked at hearing the demand.
Lotus Empress was not too surprised, and she never expected him to be the sort who would join in the merriment of the event. Seemingly prepared for this, and having no fear, she said, “In this place, there are rules. If you have come all this way, you must abide them. I will grant you two. If you want any more, you will beat the drum.”
“Rules were meant to be broken,” was No God Emperor’s callous reply.
Lotus Empress’s face turned to fright, not expecting him to shoot her down like that, twice. She cast a wall of lotus flowers around the fruit to prevent No God Emperor from reaching them.
“If Night Empress was still here, I might not be so brash.” No God Emperor was now walking, speaking as he went.
No God Emperor stepped before the fruit.
Han Sen had only just picked up one when No God Emperor arrived before him and said, “Put it back.”
Han Sen ignored him, then took the six others he had won via the drumming.
Everyone was in shock as they witnessed someone disregard what No God Emperor had told them. There was no competition, and no one there could stand up to that bully. Han Sen had to be insane.
Many emperors had been killed by No God Emperor, some for merely sneezing in his presence. Han Sen was only just a human, too. Such behavior was suicidal.
Moving Star Emperor was amongst the gasping audience, but he thought to himself, “Nice! He’s going to get rid of that annoying human once and for all!”
No God Emperor did not say a word. He teleported directly in front of Han Sen and broadened his stance.
Pang!
A lotus appeared in front of Han Sen, but it was quickly shattered.
Lotus Empress looked at No God Emperor and said, “This is not your shelter.”
No God looked at Lotus Empress, and then she summoned a host of additional lotuses. No God did not even move. It seemed his eyes were enough to kill a foe, as the protective flowers were cut down wherever his eyes trailed.
Han Sen was surprised. If he had to make battle with No God Emperor, he’d have no choice but to open his tenth gene lock.
The drum beast waddled over towards Lotus Empress and spawned a dome of green vines to shield her from what might occur next.
“Do you really want to make yourself an enemy of mine?” No God Emperor coldly half-asked.
“You started this,” Lotus Empress responded.
No God Emperor’s hands turned upwards to reveal a black hole on each palm. He looked ready to suck in everything in the vicinity. The drum beast did its best to stand strong and not fall prey to the creepy, cosmic wind that sought to pull it away, but its grip was failing. And as it was, the drum upon its back was pounding with a noise.
It was so loud and continuous, it was giving the collected audience a headache.
The vines were slipping away, releasing the protective shield it had tried to use to encapsulate Lotus Empress. Realizing this, Lotus Empress knew she had to move away, and to do this, she stepped on a raised lotus flower like a platform.
Everyone in the audience was falling back, not wanting to get themselves involved and potentially invoke the ire of No God Emperor upon themselves.
“This No God is an arrogant chump.” Han Sen held the fruit and took a few steps back himself, eager to watch what might soon occur.
“Of course he is. He became the top Son of God by ranking first in Divinity’s Bout; that’s a feat that would inflate anyone’s ego. And you know how spirits can be.” Empty Witch paused for a brief moment, before going on to say, “Even I don’t know if Lotus Empress can repel him.”
The dimensions of the plaza, and the plane of reality it stood in, was beginning to distort and twist. Without his Dongxuan Aura, Han Sen wouldn’t have been able to see a single thing with even a remote modicum of clarity.
Suddenly, Han Sen found himself without words. He wasn’t sure what he could say.
It was two versus one already, and it would be a horrible, awry thing if she were to still lose.
Empty Witch knew things were going bad, and so she shouted at everyone there, requesting their aid. “You have all come here as guests! You have received the fruits; should you not help your hostess who has been so charitable to you all?”
But the spirits there acted as if they had not heard her plea, and one by one, they began to slip away and leave the shelter.
No one was willing to defy No God Emperor and make him their enemy, all for the reward of only a few fruit.
“I need to help her, then,” Han Sen thought to himself.
He was still suspicious of whatever Lotus Empress wanted with him, and he knew he shouldn’t be trusting her fully, but No God Emperor was a figure who he hated. He knew if one of them had to die that night, it should be him.
And besides, if Lotus Empress did die, Han Sen might not learn the reason for his inability to open his tenth gene locks. And what’s more, this fight had all started because Han Sen had defied No God Emperor’s command to drop the fruit he had picked up.
Han Sen decided to join in.
“Pah! Fool,” Moving Star Emperor said aloud. He had remained there, keen to see what his most despised human might do.
