Emperor's Reckoning

189 Anti Mana

Lyon's pupils were shrunken as he watched the horror in front of him. He knew how devastating the force contained within that black ball of mana.

"KARINA!!"

His shout brought even the great elder mole on to his knees. The forest was shaken as it could hear the devastating cry of a man as the beasts hurriedly scattered and went into hiding. The birds flew frantically in fear that their life would flee out of their own body.

(Th-This... this is the power of the youth that got the blessing of a true dragon! Just his shout could make me feel inferior!) thought the great elder mole as he palpitated.

Lyon didn't care about any of his surroundings, his eyes were focused on the woman in front of him that was laying on the floor. With one leap, he was already kneeling in front of the young woman.

Her eyes were opened but there was no focus to be seen. Her mouth was agape as blood stained the floor. She looked fragile and helpless, unlike her usual bearing.

"Fuck! If only I have been more careful!" lamented Lyon as tears could be seen building up from the edges of his eyes.

"What's the use of this power if I cannot protect you, WHAT"S THE USE!"

"H-Hey..."

Lyon opened his watery eyes as he heard the fragile voice. Her warm hand touched his cheeks as he saw the smile even though there was blood on the edges of her mouth.

"D-don't blame yourself for this, I-"

Before Karina could finish her word, Lyon hurriedly carried her like a princess. Despite his watery eyes, he knew that the best thing he could do now was to heal her from this.

"Teacher, please rest, for now, I will not lose you, even if the gods want you in heaven, I'll kill them!"

said Lyounus, even though his eyes were watery, one could see the determined vow in his eyes.

"Open!"

Suddenly a magic brand instantly formed in front of them as it revealed a beautiful location. A vast lake that was so clear, one could see the bottom of it.

(Karina's cultivation is diminishing at every second!) thought Lyon.

"Is-is that Undine Lake?!" exclaimed the great elder mole. He knew how far away it was from here. To think that a Soul Realm cultivator could make spatial magic to such distance was a feat no other spatial attribute cultivator could do.

(I owe you too much) thought Lyon before he leaped into the magic brand.

If the source of the black ball of mana was from eons ago, then there was little chance that even Kyoko would know about it. There was only one figure, one existence that was currently had even the chance to know about it.

"Huh? Why are you taking me here?" asked Karina. Her voice was already meek with her cultivation dropped at a concerning rate.

Lyon smiled before he took a deep breath, "Grandpa!"

----------------

Inside the center of the Undine Lake was a hut that stood on the base of the water floor. Inside it, there was a true dragon sleeping on top of a sofa. His green scales were majestic as two of his horns. With the mouth of a crocodile and the body of a snake, he was dubbed the complete beast.

His eyes opened as he heard the call before he leaped out of the hut and swimming in the lake water before in the sky.

"Grandpa Long, I made a fish soup, eh, where did he go?" asked a woman with a short magma-red hair and burnished complexion.

----------------

"Grandson!" shouted the true dragon as he saw the figure on the edge of the lake.

The true dragon furrowed his eyebrows as he noticed the fragile woman in Lyon's arm.

"Grandpa Long, I-"

"It's this woman isn't it?"

(I expect nothing less) thought Lyon with a smile on his face before nodding.

"Well, well, I believe we haven't properly met yet, I mean, this is my first time showing you my form this close," said Long.

Karina was dumbfounded, she did saw the true dragon back in the Phantera Kingdom but alas it was from afar. Now with her sight up close, nervous was an understatement.

"Hmm, I think I ever saw something like this back in the day, no wait, 'he' had this kind of mana too, I'm pretty sure of it."

"He?" asked Lyon.

"Yes him, ugh, when I recalled that smug face of his makes me want to punch him," said Long.

"You don't mean?! Is he one of the twelve?" asked Lyon agitatedly.

For as far as he knew about his past life, there were twelve beings that raised him with care and love. Educated him, teaching him, live with him until he ventures the world outside.

"Yes indeed, one of your grandfathers as well, I hate to speak highly of him but he does deserve the recognition, that mischievous fellow."

"Don't worry, young woman, your diminishing cultivation is nothing but of something greater that is about to come. The real question is, will you be able to struggle?"

"What do you mean grandpa?"

"She will gain power beyond measure, her power will rise higher than those who cultivate normally. But her means will be different, she will no longer be capable of absorbing pure mana and just breakthrough. She will need the same type of mana that is currently in the process of replacing hers. I believe 'he' called it the anti-mana."

Lyon sighed a breath of relief, looks like her diminishing power was not life-threatening.

"Then she only needs to rest."

"That's right grandson, her power will reset, probably on the next morning, that's where the real challenge begins for her. Oh, she already fell asleep."

Lyon warmly looked at the beautiful lady she was carrying before he looked at his grandfather.

"Grandpa Long,"

"Hmm?"

"Who is stronger, you or 'him'?"

Grandfather Long smiled as he grinned his teeth, "Of course, we are equal!"

Lyon smiled wryly, he knew from his answer what he truly meant. (Like hell he would admit it haha).

Grandfather Long closed his eyes as an image from his memory resurfaced.

----------------

"You lost again, my friend," said the man with his back against him.

"Tch, I didn't lose, I just didn't win," said the shameless Long.

"It's called losing you idiot! My anti-mana is superior, I could negate your arts with closed eyes!"

"Oh, you said it! Now we gonna fight with you closing your eyes!"