The Dawn of the New World



It looked like Henrik was already expecting it because his expression did not change whatsoever. But his eyes, they were a different story.

Hao Xuan could see it vanish, that last scrap of hope that had been holding him down.

'I see...then it is done...it's all over.'

"No, far from it," Hao Xuan got down on his knee to look him in the eye. He held his cold, motionless hand and whispered, "There is always a way. I will find it and fix everything, I swear it. He...will have left one because he needs my cooperation."

Henrik did not question it, not because he believed Hao Xuan but because he knew that it wasn't possible, and if Hao Xuan needed to believe that to keep going then he would not be the one to take it away from him.

'Alright,' was all Henrik could say in response.

Hao Xuan let out a deep breath and stood up, knowing full well what was going through Henrik's mind.

Claudia walked up behind him, "Master-"

"Stay here. I will be back soon," he told her before gesturing towards Jin Wang who was waiting for him.

When they walked out together Jin Wang paused to say something but Hao Xuan stopped him, "Take me to him. There is no need to explain."

Jin Wang shook his head despondently, "I know, but you still need to be careful. He is not the same man I knew, I can't tell what he wants anymore aside from mindless slaughter and chaos."

He led Hao Xuan further down into the ruins, into areas that only he could read and understand. It only took half an hour before they were standing in front of the entrance once again.

Hao Xuan took a quick look around, "What happened to the people you had taken prisoner?"

"I let them go after making sure they would not pose a danger to anyone on this planet. There was no need to harm them."

"Hmm."

Jin Wang opened the portal gate and they both vanished inside.

A few minutes later a powerful earthquake shook the space back and forth until the ceiling cracked open and the screams of the remaining survivors echoed within the empty cavern.

**

Both Hao Xuan and Jin wang stepped out of the portal gate, appearing within the inner chamber which had seen some changes since the last visit.

Hao Xuan's gaze was immediately pulled towards Mr. Hyde's despondent figure locked behind the barrier.

"You are still alive," he remarked.

Mr. Hyde responded in much the same old unperturbed manner that he remembered.

"For now. You should leave while you can, there is nothing for you here aside from a lifetime's worth of suffering and misery."

"Everyone keeps saying that but, I want to make that decision for myself after listening to what he has to say," Hao Xuan turned towards the floating figure of golden light, "We finally meet."

Jin Wang stepped back and circled around the room until he was standing across from Mr. Hyde. They exchanged glances, both coming to the same understanding that if they saw the situation taking a turn for the worse then they would have to step in and stop it no matter the cost.

Hao Xuan's emotionless gaze surveyed the Emperor's figure with excruciating detail but could not pick up any clues even with his 'supreme intelligence', that is until his disembodied voice echoed within the chamber.

[Are you...ready?]

Hao Xuan's brow began to furrow. He obviously did not know what the Emperor was talking about but he went along with it regardless.

"I am."

The dial in the middle of the chamber rotated clockwise one time.

[Step inside]

Hao Xuan did as instructed. Normally he would be more cautious but the Emperor obviously wanted him alive so there was no reason to be overly concerned.

The entire chamber hummed and Hao Xuan felt something move inside his body. All the nanites were gathering towards his forehead. Within seconds a 2.5 cm wide ball of liquid metal had formed in between his brow before floating away.

"Baracus! What are you doing?!" Hao Xuan called out but there was no response.

Every single nanite was contained within that metallic sphere and it had left his body completely, along with Baracus himself. Even the connection they had through the power of the Soul Severing Heavenly Constitution was blocked in its entirety.

The metal sphere fell to the ground and was absorbed by the mechanism powering the dial.

The dial rotated clockwise once more as hundreds of runes lit up all over the chamber's walls.

[As weak as they are, the components are whole]

Hao Xuan could feel a foreign energy prying into every corner of his body, inside and out.