Emperor's Reckoning

"Oi oi, are you serious?" said one of the customers from the bar after he gushed out the beer he just had in his mouth. He just witnessed someone being ruthlessly slammed through the wall right in front of his eyes. He was blinking three to four times to make sure that he was sober. He looked at the beer before gulping it again, "Goddamn! That was brutal kid, hahaha!"

Lyon didn't turn around and face the man that brought him lone applause but rather the black knight who already got a hold of his hand. The former smiled before he said, "I don't know how the empire works, is that what you are trying to tell me?"

The black knight stood silent, neither admitting nor denying what he was saying.

"Hey, it's the black knight..." said one of the customers in the bar.

"Shhh..."

They all went here to forget about their problems not creating a new one.

Lyon pulled his arm before getting away from the black knight's hold. He put his arms behind his head before walking away only paused after a few steps. "I'm trying to do him a favor, but you will only prolong his suffering."

"C'mon Tuey, let's go to the palace," said Lyon as he continued the walk.

"Eh, wait, I need to heal this man first, ack!" said Tuey before her hands were slapped away by the demi-human she wished to heal.

"Get your hands off me, little girl!" said the demi-human before he got up and ran away without looking at Tuey's face in the slightest.

"W-wait!" shouted Tuey but the demi-human wouldn't stop running away.

"Ack!" the demi-human shouted in shock as his foot tumbled on something before his figure fell on the road with a thud.

"Ah sorry, your dramatic runaway went so fast I forgot to draw my leg off your way haha," said Lyon with hearty laughter before he approached the demi-human and crouched down.

The demi-human shrieked away but one of his ankles was ruptured from hitting something hard. His body immediately tried to crawl away but lacked the strength to do so. He stared at the young man in the eyes with fear, though the latter had smiles all along.

"Why don't you take it easy and just let Tuey heal you," said Lyon before he let out a hint of killing intent enveloping the demi-human's entire soul.

Lyon put two fingers in his mouth before he whistled, "Hey, Tuey, this guy wanted to be healed by you after all, haha."

"Geez, can you not whistle, I'm not a dog!" muttered Tuey before she ran up and looked at the ruptured ankle with a grimaced face. She gulped (Judging by the looks of it, it's not a simple trip, isn't it? More like a ruthless kick."

She shook her head, "I don't know who you are, but I'm going to heal your injuries so stay still okay."

The demi-human couldn't help but nodded repeatedly as he took a glance at Lyon.

The latter stood up as he faced the black knight with crossed arms, "Aren't you going to help the fella?"

The black knight shook his head before answering, "He is beyond help thanks to you."

Lyon smirked, "Your welcome!"

Tuey blinked twice in confusion before she asked, "What, what do you mean beyond help?"

"Why don't you ask the man himself?" said the black knight before pointing at Lyon who was already making his way up.

"Nah, I won't bother explaining, you do it."

Tuey's mouth twitched (That guy! Honestly, he acted wherever the place he was in like in his own backyard).

Lyon waved his hand as he made his way up alone.

*glug

*glug

"Bwahh! let me explain instead since I saw how it happened in full view haha," said the same customer that applauded Lyon's act before. He got up from the chair before everyone else noticed the towering figure he was. With beards running across his cheeks to the chin and a hint of alcohol still dripping from it, he looked like a hobo from the street except if one looked at his muscularly trained body. He had black hair with a buzz-cut hairstyle that could mesmerize innocent girls in a heartbeat.

Crossing his arms he stood against the black knight with a smile who was a head shorter than him before darting his glance against Tuey. His eyes turned sharp before he said, "That kid if any regular cultivators were to saw it of course they won't notice."

"W-what do you mean?" asked Tuey.

The man smiled, "Do you even realize that there was not a screech of pain nor a wail this entire time?"

Tuey raised her eyebrows before she realized it. There was not any begging of help nor were there any voice at all coming from the person the black knight trying to protect from Lyon.

"I-is he already dead?"

The huge man shook his head, "Not quite, but death is certainly better than his condition right now. Not even the best physician in the multi-worlds could heal him."

"At the time," his eyes turned sharp, "The moment before the man was pushed through the wall. His skulls cracked big time from the grab of his face. The wall was only icing of the cake, but he didn't give the cherry because of certain somebody."

The man took a glance at the black knight before he nudged his shoulder with a smile.

"Hmph. I'm only abiding by the law, no killing between humans is allowed in Cefralin."

Tuey raised her eyebrows while healing the demi-human's ankle, "What do you mean by between humans? You mean that between demi-humans is allowed?!"

"Of course not, they are not allowed either, unless under special condition."

"What?!"

"Shh, young lady, please, don't make a fuss of it or you will be in deep trouble later. I see that you have no collar around your neck, that's good, that's good..." said the demi-human she was healing.

"What? What does the collar mean?" asked Tuey to which the latter only looked away from her.

"It means that he is a slave," answered the huge man.

"You should learn how to shut up before I put you into prison, Malik," said the black knight,

"Oh really? Is that a challenge? Reich" said the man as the two of them had a staredown.

The atmosphere created by the two was suffocatingly intense but the customers of the bar were amazed by the name the black knight was spouting.

"Malik... as in, the ex-commander Malik?!"

"What? I thought he retired and joined a guild or some sort."

"No way, I'm just here to have a beer and go home, not seeing a duel of two gargantuan!"

Malik smirked before he let go of his pressure. The black knight, Reich, did the same soon after.

"You are too tense Reich, people even forgot your name and use your armor instead."

"I don't need such fame, I'm only enforcing the law as the law see fit."

"The law is not perfect Reich, the empire is not perfect either, look with your eyes through that thick helmet of yours, this world is not the only world out there and I've seen better than this one."

"Yet, you came back."

Malik didn't refute and only answer with a snort before a smile.

"Are you sure you want to spend your time here?" asked Malik.

"I need to keep an eye for the girl to not act anything foolish."

"Hahaha," Malik laughed heartily.

The black knight turned before asking, "What's so funny?"

"What kind of thing a little healer like her can do? Destroy the empire?" asked Malik in a sarcastic tone.

"I was a nobody too, yet look who I am now, a commander."

"Maybe you are a great knight but your conscience is shit, you sacrifice your soul to get where you are, you sacrifice the thing that makes you 'human'."

"So what? It is the price I'm willing to pay."

"I see, we will see if your law is still standing when the day comes."

The black knight pulled up Malik's collar, "You! Are you going for a coup?"

"Are you sure you should be focusing on me?" said Malik as he darted his glance against the high palace. "I heard that the young man you brought here, destroyed the Andro Kingdom, solo."

"What?! How did you know?"

"And that same young man is now walking toward your beloved palace unhindered. Heh, congratulations, you served an old monster yet you brought the devil to the lair."

The black knight gasped before he realized what situation the empire was suddenly in. He was focusing too much on Tuey that he forgot who was the person he would be keeping an eye on twenty-four seven.

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

"Hmm? What business you have to come to the palace," said one of the two guards guarding the gate.

The young man they were talking to let down his hands from behind his head before smirking at them.