Chapter 316

The grayish Aurora Curtain slowly rose, and Jiang Xia stepped out of the Spatial Portal.

This time he made a bolder attempt; the sufficient data he had gathered in the Oz World was worth trying out.

As soon as he stepped forward, the environment began to shift; the surroundings became noisy, with crowds of people dancing along the central altar.

Their torches cast a faint light on the surroundings that were about to be engulfed by darkness.

On the altar lay a stone scorched by fire, its surface pitted with holes; the person on the altar drew an iron awl from his waist, drove its sharp tip into the central pit, and hammered the awl's tail vigorously.

Instantly, sparks flew; each drilled crack faintly emitted light from the hole, and within moments the stone bore several cracks.

Finally, after a final heavy blow, the stone shattered completely, bursting forth with intense golden light.

Everyone present waved their torches, cheering and leaping, their shouts shaking the heavens.

「ㄛㄤㄊㄆㄣㄊㄑㄋㄘ」

A woman clad in a white hemp robe, resembling a witch, held in her right hand something barely worthy of being called a wooden staff, chanting something in an ancient language that Jiang Xia could not understand.

The people gathered at the altar, excitedly wearing hemp-cloth clothing and holding torches, spoke words that Jiang Xia could not understand a single sentence of.

He could only feel that they were overjoyed when they saw the red stone appear.

Fortunately, the Aurora Curtain automatically arranged an identity for him in this strange and ancient era.

Otherwise, the first thing he would have to do upon arriving here would be to learn the local script and language.

The information transmitted by the Aurora Curtain flowed rapidly through his mind; the lines resembling pictographs were being swiftly dissected, and he was comprehending a new language at an astonishing speed.

Its name is 'Lin Duo language'.

After digesting all the transmitted information, Jiang Xia gradually came to understand the cheers of the people around him, but he still could not understand the language the witch on the altar was chanting.

Now Jiang Xia's clothing had also been automatically replaced, and he was no longer one of those holding torches.

He had become a spectator, standing together with most people dressed in ancient attire, watching the altar from afar.

But now Jiang Xia could also determine what had actually happened here.

From the whispered conversations around him and the sudden memories surfacing in his mind, this was a selection, a crucial moment for selecting warriors.

And he himself was one of the three volunteers who had stepped forward as warrior candidates; the enemy faced by the chosen warrior was a special race called the 'Glangi'.

This is the ultra-ancient Kuuga spacetime; it is unknown how many thousands of years remain before Go Yusuke of the fifth generation completes his first Kuuga transformation.

But after reviewing the memories in his mind, Jiang Xia fell into deep doubt.

"What's wrong, Jiang Xia? Are you having second thoughts? This is inherently dangerous; otherwise, just tell the village chief not to participate in the selection."

A youth with downcast eyes and a wandering gaze, looking at Jiang Xia's slight frown, spoke softly.

"No, Rik, this is my choice; moreover, it is a good way to ensure that you and your sister no longer suffer discrimination."

According to his memory of their usual interaction, Jiang Xia lightly patted the trembling Rik's body.

In his memory, Rik originally would, relying solely on the four basic attributes of Kuuga, completely seal the Glangi clan in the future.

Now he is merely an ordinary person living in Lin Duo village, not particularly strong in body and even somewhat timid in character.

The Rik before Jiang Xia now differs greatly from the Rik who exists only in background introductions, a mighty warrior who never loses; the gap is almost heavenly versus earthly.

What could have caused a originally timid man to rapidly grow into a warrior as hard as steel? Only through heart‑wrenching, even unimaginably tragic events could achieve that.

Although he does not know what happened to Rik after he became Kuuga, Jiang Xia can already imagine the specific circumstances.

Will corpses litter the fields here? Jiang Xia narrowed his eyes, his heart instantly on alert.

Although it is merely speculation, such a possibility indeed exists, and we must guard against it.

At that moment, the surrounding enthusiastic clamor gradually subsided, and the witch on the altar finally ceased her indistinct chanting.

She reached out, taking from within the stone the object wrapped inside that was emitting light.

The light gradually faded; what she held in her palm was a band with a centered embedded red gemstone, an exquisite yet archaic ring‑like object that could not be forged in this era.

"The Kuuga belt has finally appeared." Jiang Xia thought to himself.

"Who… has been chosen to represent our village as its warrior?" said the village chief, white‑haired and slightly aged, his voice trembling.

"Now I have received the divine decree; I will select from the three warrior candidates the one best suited to help our Lin Duo overcome its plight." said the witch, raising her staff.

Although the witch's voice was not particularly loud, it filled the Lin Duo people present with ecstatic joy.

Because the Glangi are an extremely ferocious race; they were originally human as well, but after obtaining a meteorite from beyond the heavens, they mutated.

Weapons forged from that extraterrestrial meteorite greatly affected their bodies, causing their flesh to begin to aberrantly transform, gradually becoming hideous and extraordinarily powerful monsters.

It also utterly erased their humanity, turning them into true monsters who revel in slaughter.

Although the Amadam set upon the Aguru (Kuuga belt) is also a product of the meteorite.

But it does not turn into a cold‑blooded monster like the Glangi; instead it becomes a powerful warrior capable of guarding Lin Duo, and although it appears to share the same origin, its relationship to the Glangi is actually worlds apart.

The reason for the surrounding cheers is that now, possessing Kuuga power grants the strength to defeat the Glangi, allowing them to live in peace—naturally this makes them very excited.

At this moment, the surrounding tribespeople quickly cleared a path, allowing the three volunteers who had stepped forward as warrior candidates to approach the altar.

At this moment, the gaze of the entire tribe focused upon this place.

Likewise, Rik down below also clenched his fists slightly.

Because his sister is blind, he intends to join the warrior selection against the Glangi to prevent her from being ostracized by the tribe, aiming to become a Kuuga like a monster.

But at this moment, it was Jiang Xia who had taken his place and volunteered for the warrior selection.

Likewise, Jiang Xia also cared deeply for his sister, being able to help her escape discrimination; that is why Rik feels tense.

Several hundred people in the tribe all understand that becoming a warrior means facing the Glangi head‑on and bearing the tribe's hopes; it is very likely a one‑way trip, and only three people are willing to accept becoming Kuuga.

He wishes his sister would no longer be bullied, yet he also hopes his good friend will not become a monster nor go to battle; now this simple wish of his has fallen into a dilemma.

When the witch saw the three of them standing before her, her eyes, concealed by paint, suddenly flashed a glint of sharpness.

"Huh?" At the same time Jiang Xia slightly frowned, feeling a sense of scrutiny, and sensing that something was off with the witch.

However, he temporarily took no other action, after all he was still amidst the warrior selection ceremony.

"Our Lin Duo's representative for battle is—him!"

(End of chapter)