Zhang Xiao looked at the Jingwei Guard kneeling on one knee before him, their heads bowed in salute.
His tense muscles slowly relaxed. He had never expected this...
He gazed thoughtfully at the rune shining brilliantly in the air. Besides opening the door, the reward for defeating the first stage's colossal statue had actually come in useful here.
On reflection, it seemed quite reasonable.
The Royal Guard rose once more. They turned in perfect unison, clearing a path to the throne.
Their weapons crossed overhead, forming a series of arches of swords and halberds.
The rune's light slowly dimmed, and it drifted before him as though guiding the way.
Zhang Xiao steadied himself and, under the gaze of every spectator, stepped into this unusual archway.
The path from the palace doors to the throne was exceptionally long. The closer he drew, the more clearly he could see it.
The throne was tall and heavy, like a mountain skillfully shrunk and shaped into a seat, studded with all kinds of gemstones.
Its backrest was engraved with the man from the statue riding a water horse across the sea. An enormous ruby sat right at the tip of his raised trident.
Zhang Xiao reached the throne, turned around, and looked at the Royal Guard in their exquisite armor.
It all felt utterly unreal.
He slowly sat down. When he touched the cold Golden Throne, his first thought was actually that the seat was hard and rather uncomfortable.
Then a line suddenly popped into his head:
"It hurts. It hurts so much, Arthas!"
Just then, something unexpected happened. The rune that had followed him suddenly blazed with light, and a phantom figure appeared before him.
Crackle!
The Thunderstruck Wood Wand was instantly in Zhang Xiao's hand, golden light poised around his body without