[The Ragnarök Coliseum]
Witnessing the battered state of Ying Zheng—his left arm lost to the King of the Netherworld—a child in the stands gripped his mother's sleeve.
"Mother... King Ying Zheng... He won't lose, will he?" the boy asked, his voice trembling with uncertainty.
His mother didn't answer immediately. Tears streamed down her face. To her, Ying Zheng was not just a champion; he was the child of all humanity's hopes.
'Ying Zheng... you've been fighting your entire life, haven't you?' she thought, the memories of a different era flashing before her eyes. 'All to keep that promise.'
"I will become the strongest king! I promise!" a young, blindfolded boy had once shouted in her memories. "I will bring the people happiness, not hate!"
Wiping her eyes, she looked back at the arena with newfound resolve. "Watch closely, Chun Ou. Witness the final battle of our King... the greatest King of all."
[On the Arena Floor]
"Look, I know you don't want to give up... but what is the plan?" Alvitr's voice echoed in my mind. She was the Valkyrie who had become my sword, and right now, she was as exhausted as I was.
I didn't answer with words. I turned my gaze toward Hades. It was a risky idea—the only one I had left.
"I am going to use the [Heavenly Hand of Defense] again," I murmured.
"But in your state, that's—"
"Trust me," I interrupted, a faint, confident smile playing on my lips. "I am a King."
I felt her spirit soften, a silent acceptance of my madness. She was my blade, and I was her wielder. I would protect her, but first, I had to fulfill my promise to the millions of voices crying out for me.
Hades began his final charge. He was smiling. Desmos, his blood-fused spear, hummed with a terrifying, divine Qi. It was his greatest strength, but I had seen it—the tiny flaw in the flow.
I focused every ounce of my will.
[Chi You—Armor Form: Heavenly Hand of Defense]
The tip of my sword met the colossal force of his spear. I smirked. Through the contact, I felt the pulse of his life force—the flow of Qi within the weapon.
[Chi You—Crossbow Form: Tortoise Ripple]
A puff of air escaped my lips, striking the "star" of his power. Desmos flickered. Its overwhelming power withered in an instant. I hadn't forgotten—not for a single second. My life began at the end, taught to me by Chun Yan.
A King is the one who arises from the end... and brings about the beginning.
"Forgive me, Hades," I whispered. "I know you have a promise to keep as well, but mine carries the weight of billions."
[Chi You—Sword-Armor Form: Shi Huang Guard and Yan Cut]
My blade tore through Desmos, splitting the divine spear before carving through the King of the Netherworld's chest.
Silence fell over the coliseum.
Hades fell. I stood. But my body was a hollow shell, screaming in agony. I wanted to collapse, but I forced my legs to stay locked. I had to speak to him. He deserved that much.
With the last of my strength, I pressed my hand to my chest in a final salute.
"I am grateful I could speak with you... King of the Netherworld. No... my friend."
The announcer's voice shook the heavens: "THE WINNER OF THE ULTIMATE BATTLE OF KINGS IS... QIN SHI HUANG!"
Alvitr returned to her human form, falling into my arms. I tried to hold her, to tell her we had won, but the world turned black. My consciousness slipped away into the void.
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"HAHAHAHA! I can't believe it! I actually reincarnated into the world of TDG!"
A teenager with golden eyes and messy black hair stood in a lavish room, laughing like a madman. "I'll build the ultimate harem! I'll become the strongest cultivator! The girls, the treasures—it's all mine!"
He was lost in his own delusions of grandeur until a searing, white-hot pain tore through his nerves.
"Argh! System! What's happening?!" he screamed, clutching his head.
[System Initializing... 10%... 50%... 100%.] [Initialization complete.]
"Host is currently the primary soul of this body," a cold, female mechanical voice rang out. "Per your wish, you have inherited the form and memories of Qin Shi Huang. However, because the original soul is still active, you must fight for dominance."
The teenager's face went pale. He had wanted the cool factor of being the Emperor, not the actual struggle. But then, his "protagonist" ego kicked in.
'I have a System,' he thought. 'I'm the main character. This King is just a stepping stone for my peak!'
"Qin Shi Huang!" he shouted at the empty air. "Become my first sacrifice!"
Suddenly, his jaw locked. His arm moved without his consent, reaching up to grip his own throat.
"System! Help m—argh!"
His mouth opened, and a focused bullet of air—a Tortoise Ripple—was forced out from within his own lungs. His control over the limbs vanished instantly.
_________________________________________________________________
I could not comprehend the situation. One moment, I was bidding farewell to Hades; the next, I felt my soul being dragged across the stars. I felt a presence—a small, foul-smelling consciousness trying to push me out of a body that felt like my own, yet different.
Then, I heard my own voice speak words of utter idiocy.
"I can't believe I reincarnated into TDG... I'm going to build a harem."
I felt a surge of genuine irritation. This "dreaming boy" didn't even know how to circulate his Qi, yet he prattled on about being a King?
Does he think the throne is a toy?
I felt a barrier holding me back—some sort of "System." It was a helper, a parasite protecting the boy's soul. I did not lose my calm. I was the First Emperor. My will had outlasted empires; it would certainly outlast a brat.
I began to circulate my Qi, intentionally causing internal friction. I generated pain—pain that was familiar to me, but unbearable to a pampered soul.
I felt the third presence—the female voice of the "System"—scramble to protect the boy. I focused my intent, mirroring the piercing strike I used against Hades, and thrust my will against the barrier.
"Qin Shi Huang, become my stepping stone!" the boy cried out.
I almost laughed. I took control of the eyes. I looked inward, perceiving the soul realm. The boy's soul was a flickering, chaotic red.
Hao.
I disrupted the Qi flow that the System was using to shield him. Without that protection, his soul was nothing more than a stray balloon in a hurricane.
The "NEET" screamed—a silent, pathetic wail about "injustice" and "harem dreams"—as his consciousness was purged, cast out of the body and into the void.
I took a deep breath. My breath. My body.
I opened my eyes and looked at my reflection in a nearby basin of water. A twelve-year-old face stared back.
"So," I whispered, my voice regaining its imperial weight. "The world has changed, but the path remains the same."