n

n

nShang had just finished his last match.

nThe long trial was finally over.

nAfter 22 fights, excluding the executions, Shang had finally finished the trial.

nBut at this moment, Shang didn’t even think about the trial.

nHe only thought about his Affinity.

n‘Entropy?’ Shang thought as his last eye looked at his remaining arm.

nSilence.

n‘What kind of Affinity is this?!’

nWhat did Shang think about when he realized his Affinity?

nThe power?

nThe potential?

nThe uses?

nNo, Shang was thinking about something else.

nShang had tried to convince himself that all his opponents had to die for his goal.

nThey all had to die!

nYet, why was Shang even trying to convince himself?

nIf he truly thought that, he wouldn’t need to convince himself.

nHe would just accept that everyone had to die and would do it.

nWhy put so much energy into convincing himself?

nIt was hard to acknowledge, but right now, Shang realized that he hadn’t truly believed that sentence.

nOtherwise, he wouldn’t be feeling as he was feeling right now.

nJust mere moments ago, Shang felt like he had a choice.

nIt had been his choice to act this cruelly towards everyone opposing him.

nBut now that his choice had been taken away, he felt a feeling of regret.

n‘How am I supposed to interact with anyone when I am the very antithesis of their existence, their goals, and dreams?’

n‘Fire can destroy, but it also leaves behind nutrients that plants use. Additionally, we couldn’t even survive without the sun.’

n‘Water and Earth can destroy, but they are the very basis for life.’

n‘Wind brings movement into the world. Additionally, oxygen is also important for life.’

n‘Ice? So what if it’s cold? There are enough animals that can live in a tundra.’

n‘All our bodies use lightning to function.’

n‘Metal? Who doesn’t need iron and magnesium for their body?’

n‘Light is just life, and darkness can also protect.’

n‘Entropy?’

n‘What can Entropy do?’

n‘Entropy is the antithesis of everything we know.’

n‘In Entropy, nothing is relevant anymore.’

n‘Without movement, space has become meaningless.’

n‘Without change, time has become meaningless.’

n‘Entropy means that there is no life.’

n‘Entropy means that there is nothing.’

n‘There is just nothing!’

nShang remained silent as he looked at the ground with his remaining eye.

n‘What if I become more powerful? What then?’

n‘Will I start destroying everything around me?’

nFor a while, Shang wasn’t sure what he was thinking about.

nHe was thinking about something, but he didn’t know what he was thinking about.

nHe only knew that he was thinking.

nMaybe he was trying to untangle this web of emotions?

nMaybe he was trying to make sense of his situation?

nHe didn’t know.

nBut, eventually, Shang sighed.

nShang flipped himself over to lay on his back as he held his last arm towards the sun in his world.

nShang only looked at his arm.

nThis arm couldn’t create.

nIt could only destroy.

n‘How would my rise to power affect the world around me?’

n‘I don’t know.’

nShang just looked at his arm for a while.

nThen, Shang sighed again.

n‘Maybe I’m overthinking all of this. I don’t know.’

n‘I mean, I can still help others, right?’

n‘But is that something I want?’

n‘I think it is? Not sure. I mean, I am thinking about these things right now. If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t think about these things.’

nSilence.

nShang only looked at his hand.

n‘I don’t know.’

n“Finally done moping around?”

nShang heard a squeaky noise and barely managed to move his weak body to look at the source.

nIt was the jester!

nThe one that always struck the bell with his hammer!

nRight now, the jester was standing beside Shang, hammer still in hand.

nEven now, it looked like a cheap machine.

n“Hey! I put a lot of work into this puppet! Don’t call it a cheap machine!” the jester shouted with a snort.

nShang’s eye widened in surprise.

nHe didn’t say that.

nHe only thought-

n‘Oh. It’s him.’

n“Sure enough, it’s me,” the jester said with a wide and creepy grin. “I always had a fond spot for jesters. They’re funny.”

nShang did his best not to disagree with the God in his thoughts.

n“Why are you here?” Shang asked.

n“Why can’t I be here?” the jester asked with a smirk. “This is my world. I can do whatever I want in it.”

nShang remained silent for a bit.

n“I noticed,” Shang said.

nThere was a definite implication in the way he said these words.

n“Oh, someone’s mad,” the jester said as he walked around Shang’s atrophied body, every step making squeaky noises.

n“You’re mad that you have to entertain me? Is that it?” the jester asked with a wide grin.

nShang didn’t answer.

n“So what?” the jester shouted as he loudly laughed. “Then be mad! It won’t change reality!”

nShang’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t even think about disagreeing with the jester.

nThere was nothing Shang could do.

nThe God was just like the Storm Eagle.

nWarrior’s Paradise only existed because the Storm Eagle didn’t want to destroy it.

nWhy did Shang exist?

nWhy was Shang in this world?

nWhat was Shang’s purpose here?

nEntertainment.

nHis entire existence, his entire being, his purpose, his everything only existed for entertainment.

nThat’s it.

nIf Shang weren’t entertaining anymore, all of this would vanish.

nShang’s destiny was to dance for the God.

nAs Shang looked at the jester, only one sentence went through his mind.

n‘It’s like I’m the jester’s jester.’

n“Ahahahaha!”

nThe God broke out into laughter.

n“The jester’s jester,” he repeated as he presented his body by hopping from one leg onto the other. “The jester,” he said.

nThen, he pointed at Shang with his hammer. “The jester’s jester.”

n“I should have called you Chester!” the jester said with a loud laugh.

nShang didn’t find it funny.

n“Why did you force the name Shang on me?” Shang asked.

nThe jester only grinned. “It means entropy in Chinese. Well, not entirely. I kind of had to change the pronunciation of the a. Shahng just sounds weird as a name.”

nShang remained silent for some seconds.

n“That’s it?” he asked.

n“Why?” the God asked as he bowed around Shang’s head to look him in his remaining eye. “Did you expect more?”

nShang remained silent.

nThe question of why the God had forced the name Shang upon him had been a mystery for a long time.

nWhy did Shang need a new name?

nShang had thought that there was a greater reason for it.

nMaybe there was some significance to his name?

nBut no.

nIt was only the God having fun.

n“Why Entropy?”

nThe grin never left the jester’s face.

n“Because of your last question,” he answered.

nShang wanted to ask what his question was, but he stopped himself.

nThe God wouldn’t answer.

nAt that moment, Shang thought of a different question.

nHe had been confused about this thing for a long time.

nWhy not ask the God?

nHe would know.

n“You don’t have to ask,” the jester said with his grin. “I already know what you want to ask.”

n“Will you answer?” Shang asked.

nThe jester’s grin became even wider, which hadn’t seemed possible just a second ago.

n“I already answered that question.”

n“Why don’t you wait until the Commander Stage?”

n