Simon walked up to the throne in the audience stands, looking at the former Fool King, now slumped over the throne.
The members of the Colosseum of Fools made a collective appearance, standing on the blood-stained plaza, while the audience sat quietly in their seats.
They were waiting for Simon's move.
The old king's body had decayed; a new king would be crowned today.
Simon pulled the empty shell off the throne; it rolled and fell beneath the audience stands.
A restless atmosphere churned.
All the bugs held their breath, waiting for Simon to sit on the throne before letting out a loud cheer.
But unexpectedly, Simon merely turned around, not sitting down.
He declared loudly, "Hallownest has no Fool King!"
The entire arena erupted in an uproar.
Simon continued to shout, "There is no Fool King, and no bug can be called a Fool, because no one is invincible!"
The noisy discussions gradually subsided, and the bugs all looked up at Simon, who stood high above them.
"The Fool King is a goal that warriors will fight for forever; it will not be reached, only constantly surpassed!"
"Keep fighting! Keep fighting! In the bloodbath, do not forget your glory as a warrior! We are all Fool Kings!"
His words ignited a huge response; the Fools in the arena immediately began to fight, blood spraying high and falling like an endless rain.
The words of the strong are truth!
Simon looked down at the blindly fighting swarm of bugs, knowing this was all he could do.
Having absorbed a vast quantity of residual dreams in the Soul World, Simon also extracted reliable information from fragmented memories.
When he was still a player, Simon had speculated about the background of the Colosseum of Fools.
In his imagination, this building had a long history; in its earliest days, when it was led by the Fool King, the warriors' goal was pure: to fight for honor. After the Fool King died, a new king was slow to appear, and so the Fools fell into a habit, a habit of slaughter.
After personally coming to the Colosseum, Simon also mused about the Colosseum's history in his leisure time. After the Fool King's death, it seemed to have been ruled by the wealthy bugs of Hallownest—the audience—who, to satisfy their urge for slaughter, gave generous rewards to the warriors, encouraging them to participate in the fights. To ensure a steady supply of Fools and beasts, they formed slave-catching and beast-taming teams to provide fresh blood to the Colosseum.
After absorbing the residual dreams, Simon gained a largely accurate understanding of the Colosseum of Fools.
The Colosseum was originally established by the Fool King as a means to resist The Radiance's infection, allowing warriors to fight for honor, thereby instilling firm courage that would not easily be swayed by The Radiance. At that time, many powerful bugs voluntarily joined the Colosseum; some sought to resolve the infection, others pursued slaughter, and various other reasons, but there were certainly no slaves forcibly captured.
After the Fool King's passing, the situation unfolded as Simon had deduced: the audience took control, and the battles became less pure.
As for Simon's actions, he simply did the most correct thing: dying on the battlefield was better than having one's mind consumed by infection. As for the audience, Simon offered no comment.
Everything could remain as it was.
The Colosseum of Fools would retain his legend, and Simon was now embarking on a new journey.
His next target was the Soul Sanctum, located in the City of Tears, one of the places most knowledgeable about Soul Energy. Simon hoped to find a way there to better utilize his vast, latent Soul Energy.
"Eternal slaughter! Farewell!"
Responding to him was a deafening roar of battle cries.
...
When Simon previously came to the Colosseum, he took the elevator shaft in the City of Tears. Continuing this shortcut now felt even more familiar.
As he descended, he noticed an opening in the elevator shaft, which led to the Pleasure House, a place akin to a hot spring resort. Simon planned to visit it if he had the chance.
After an easy landing, Simon surveyed his surroundings.
The City of Tears, after all, was a city of nobles; its interior decoration was exquisitely beautiful. The dominant dark red color scheme, filled with classical style, was brightly lit. Decorative bas-reliefs on the walls featured Hallownest characteristics, and large crystal glass panels were embedded in the exterior walls of buildings, secured by carved iron hoops. Through the glass, one could see the ceaseless rain outside, falling on the windows and leaving misty streaks.
These raindrops were all seeping down from the Blue Lake above, and the city's accumulated water was drained through the sewers; the overall design was ingenious and admirable.
Simon walked a few steps and saw several well-dressed bugs—or, to be precise, they had once been members of the kingdom's upper class. Their deceased bodies, reanimated, still retained an arrogant demeanor. Simon easily killed many of them.
Shell Sentinels were, of course, plentiful and in groups, but they could no longer pose a challenge to Simon.
He advanced with ease, even having leisure to admire his surroundings, seeing comfortable, soft sofas, and even sitting on one to enjoy himself for a while.
There were elevators between floors. Pulling a mechanism would make the elevator ascend, pulled by chains. The elevator itself was exquisitely crafted; once inside, one would pull a control lever, moving it to an up or down arrow, and the elevator would operate.
These primitive mechanical elevators were not sealed, the advantage being an unobstructed view of the scenery. One side of the elevator shaft was a large floor-to-ceiling window, where rain poured down like tears—truly the City of Tears.
Following the map, he arrived at the King's Station, one of Hallownest's largest Stag Stations. Although it was now deserted, the numerous platforms hinted at its past grandeur.
Without delay, Simon left the station.
Upon exiting, the outline of the City of Tears appeared before Simon's eyes. A quick scan of the entire area felt like arriving in a sci-fi steampunk city. Beneath the firmament, in a dimly lit world, torrential rain poured, buildings rose like towers, and the light projected from inside the houses was as distant as an illusion, yet as warm as a campfire.
Towering buildings, like high-rises, stretched from the ground to the zenith. Intricate carved decorations made these towers exceptionally solemn and imposing. Sky bridges connected the buildings, forming a crisscrossing network, all with a strong sense of design.
One tower was exceptionally tall; one could imagine that standing at its top would offer a panoramic view of the entire City of Tears. Simon thought, that must be the tower of Lurien the Watcher, one of the Dreamers. Perhaps he would go inside later, but not now.
Simon consulted his map. The Soul Sanctum was located within a tower near the central plaza of the City of Tears. This tower had a peculiar shape, with many extensions in its upper half, making it look like a deformed large head, easily recognizable.
Simon used the Soul Warrior's teleportation technique for rapid movement; wherever his gaze fell, with a thought, he could arrive, which was extremely convenient.
He soon reached the central plaza.
Here stood a colossal statue: on a massive lotus-like base, stone carvings of the three Dreamers flanked a knight as tall and serene as the moon.
He wore a huge, V-shaped, deer-antler-like helmet-mask, revealing a pair of eye-slits from which he looked down upon every bug who gazed upon his face. His tall body was hidden beneath a heavy cloak, and he carried himself with an imposing demeanor.
On the base was a memorial plaque.
"In Memory of
the Hollow Knight
Beneath the distant black dome
His sacrifice ensured Hallownest's eternal prosperity."
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