Kapitel 35: The Demonic Attitude! - Emperor Bloodline and the Five-crowned Prince
With so much going on after waking up, and the subsequent matter of lost Comprehension, Kai only now felt such vast changes, his memory triggered by the changing hues of the sky.
None noticed Kai's odd state, though.
Contestant Nexus flicked his hand, creating a screen in front of him. Kai mechanically turned his head to look at it; dazed about what to do and where to look for his irreplaceable Items.
"We underestimated Shadow Lord," Contestant Nexus began, the scene after the explosion appearing on the screen. "Pirate Lord Henry Morgan somehow used the energy from the blast to speed up his maturation. At first, we thought he wouldn't be able to copy us and our Items (-us here obviously means Nexus and Red Sun-). At least not my Helmet of Fate and his Digimon. Haaa! We were both right and wrong…"
As the Supreme-Protector let out an exasperated breath, the screen showed them a towering being, wearing a vast, rippling cloak that seemed to have been sewn using shadows. His eyes were deep black and his long white beard swayed left and right as if it was alive.
The Shadow Lord!
They saw him raising his hands as if he was holding the entire sky, and then 3 cyborg-dinosaurs-like beasts sprouted out of the ground covered in shadows, each having a revolver for their left arm.
Another convoluted shadow, wearing a shadowy helmet, levitated out of the ground, the very space fluctuating around him. In his hands were a shadow spear and a shield that felt made of earth, but wasn't.
From another side, a colossal Shadow Creature emerged, over 100 ft tall, and the 3 shadow Digimon came to hover around him like planets around the sun.
This was Anomaly; the true Nightmare!
"Shadow Lord couldn't copy the Items exactly, true enough," Nexus continued, eying the Shadow Creature wearing the dark helmet. "But he just created many of us with the strength of 8th-floor Contestants. The blast had already forced the other kid's galley (-the unknown 7th-floor Marine-) and Black Pearl out of the Inheritance Land. He not only got the 10% Inheritance but also captured Barbossa and his crew.
"Interceptor, however, was on the verge of capsizing. Shadow Lord must have sensed Jack Sparrow, for he rushed toward the ship."
The screen shook, and another scene appeared.
Kai and others saw the towering Shadow Lord emerging out of the shadows on the ship and eying everyone with indifference. His gaze landed on Jack Sparrow, but Black Wasp was nearest to the Character.
An incredible and heart-palpating scene presented itself, then.
Shadow Lord pointed his finger at the top-level 7th-floor Contestant, and shadows rushed at him from all sides, dark veils coming to life. In no time, the shadows covered Black Wasp from head to toe, and then his figure distorted, becoming an ugly Shadow Creature. It was also then that the Supreme-Protector appeared near the Interceptor.
"Shadow Lord could only create Shadow Creatures out of non-living things before," Nexus commented. "He must have gained some further understanding in the Alchemy in this world for him to turn a person into one of his Shadow Creatures. I tried my best to save the Contestants, but…"
This also meant Pirate Lord Henry Morgan's Inheritance in this Random World would be better than the others with C+ Difficulty. This, Nexus left unsaid, though.
"What about the other 9th-floor Contestant, senior?" Blade Singer asked, as she was from Order as well. "He… he didn't help."
"He…" Nexus frowned, clenching his teeth. "… He is Red Sun."
"What?!" Moraine blurted in sheer shock. "Red Sun, the leader of the Sun and Moon Organization? Red Sun… the 10th ranked Contestant during his Tournament of Worth with the theme — Relentless?! He is…"
"… a lunatic!" Blade Singer completed the words, her voice shaking.
'Robin…' Even Kai, his thoughts tumultuous, couldn't help but recall the 9th-floor Contestant he had fooled during his past mission. 'Why… Why was he acting as a mere Protector, then?'
"Red Sun saved Governor Swann and Commodore Norrington somehow," the old man told them. "But 20% of Inheritance wasn't enough for him. I don't know why, but he couldn't find Elizabeth Swann. Not when getting attacked by my two copies, and three shadow Digimon blasting him from all sides. There are still a few hours to the Inheritance Land's end. And Red Sun is… indeed relentless."
Kai couldn't savor the flavor of Red Sun's illogical strength for long. The screen trembled again, showing the scene of a beaten and bleeding Supreme-Protector running away, bringing the Interceptor with him. And just behind him was the Shadow Lord, surrounded by countless Shadow Creatures.
Suddenly, Kai saw something that made him tremble, his blood boiling in his veins.
Shadow Lord reached out with a vast shadowy claw and snatched a person off the ship. She was a young lady, with wet golden hair and an earring in her left ear. The moment the Shadow Lord grabbed her, a mass of white-silver mist followed her as well.
"Who was that?!" Blade Singer exclaimed, narrowing her eyes.
"This I couldn't tell, either," Nexus mumbled, licking his lips. "I did hear Shadow Lord say something… Unnatural Lifeform, yes. It was also then that he gave up the pursuit, and I got the chance to bring you guys out of the Inheritance Land."
Cold coursed through Kai's veins with bubbling ferocity. He pushed himself to his feet, his eyes bloodshot.
Afro's Tachi and Murasame appeared in his hands and Kai stepped toward the hull, stumbling and limping.
"She was with you?!" Nexus exclaimed, his old eyes giving off a profound glint. "If I knew… She's as good as gone, kid. Don't attempt something crazy. The moment you were to step on the Island, you would die. That is not a battlefield where a mere ant like you can crawl onto!"
Kai listened and ignored; the image of a Book, his power, appearing and vanishing in his mind. "She… is mine."
Moraine looked at the girl on the screen and then at Kai, her thoughts unknown. Blade Singer frowned as well, agreeing with the old man.
Moreover, the Supreme-Protector looked incredibly furious. But, unseen by Moraine and Blade Singer, the Helmet of Fate resting on his lap had given out a faint golden shine.
Once more, Nexus was using the same Skill through which he had let all Contestants know of his presence. This time, however, the Skill was directed only toward Kai.
"… Your Imperial Excellency," the 9th-floor Contestant's words rang in Kai's mind like his Telepathy. "Senior, you are a reincarnated descendant of the Emperor. Must you lose your sense over a mere girl?"
Kai suddenly paused.
Thousand hearts; Ten thousand probabilities!
By now, Contestant Nexus had indeed made some guesses about Kai's origin. With his experience, only the direct descendant of the Emperor bloodline could show a hint of Conqueror's Haki so early in the Primordial Tower after the resurrection.
Not just anyone could ignore the restrictions of Thresholds, Nexus knew.
Only these kinds of Contestants, the promised Kings, could even breathe the power of Supreme, to begin with.
Nexus was over 90% sure that his guess was right. Not only that, but his guess had also birthed more theories.
The Supreme-Protector, too, had heard of the Five-Crowned Prince. He, too, was interested in knowing what exactly could interest 18th-floor existences. When he brought Blood Demon into the picture, and because this 2nd Set Contestant was from Chaos, it made this 90% go infinitely near to the 100%.
Who in the entire Primordial Tower would even believe that Blood Demon possessed the Color of the Supreme not because of the Emperor bloodline, but because he was Kai of House Stormborn?
No one.
Only the Conquerors could see through the Color of the supreme. Rest were unworthy.
And this was when people didn't know about Kai having not one but two Haki. As Nexus didn't know about Kai's Observation Haki, the Kings didn't know about his Conqueror's Haki.
The day when these two facts were to come to light, would be the day when earth-shattering changes would happen in the Primordial Tower.
The Supreme-Protector's theory related to Kai was also the reason for him to stake out everything to save him. However, that wasn't the only reason.
Kai's mind had already gone blank after seeing his Items getting snatched by someone. He turned around and his dead gaze landed on Nexus as if he was eying the most stupid person he had ever looked at.
And then he spat, "You are weak."
Moraine and Blade Singer's eyes popped out. Everyone who heard Kai gasped, anger flashing across their eyes as they heard their savior being called a weak person.
Only Nexus' eyes trembled.
You are weak… these were the same words Red Sun had said to him before he left the Inheritance Land, the Supreme-Protector remembered.
In a world where killing and massacring were a common sight, where no one cared about anyone but themselves… was thinking of others, saving innocents, and doing something right so wrong? So wrong that they would label him as weak?
Nexus had never questioned his methods before, believing in himself and his acts.
Now, however, hearing the same words from a reincarnated emperor's descendant made his heart tremble.
"How dare you?!" Blade Singer fumed, her eyes burning. "Take those words back."
Kai didn't even look at her. With one last gaze at Nexus, he threw himself off the ship, jumping into the sea with a resounding splash.
This was his Attitude! And only his attitude was Demonic!
So what if the threat was beyond him? All he needed was one reason to take on the risk.
And the Book was the most prominent reason Kai could ever have. If he were to just run away, giving up on his hard-earned power, without even trying, then what right would he have to call himself a Demon?
'Heh!' Kai sneered, scalding heat coursing through his veins as Golduck-Kai came into existence.
With one powerful kick and flick of his tail, he threw himself toward the Inheritance Land, entering the dark dome.
Over at Interceptor, Moraine eyed the ripples under seawater vanishing beyond the dark covering around Inheritance Land.
Blade Singer was still breathing hard, blood dripping off her chin. "Humph! What an idiot!" She didn't have a habit of speaking so much. But Kai's remark had brought out her fury. Even her voice had a sword-like edge, cutting through the hearts. "Go die! Just who the hell he thinks he is?"
The Supreme-Protector, too, was looking at the disappearing ripples, and he had seen much more. Even the strange transformation.
"He…" Contestant Nexus opened his weary heart. His voice was only for Moraine and Blade Singer, entering the ladies' ears and hearts like the most powerful boom of heavenly thunder.
"… He is the Five-crowned Prince!"
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