Emperor's Reckoning

The sounds of clanking armor were heard as horses neigh and galloping. The swarm of the army was coming from three different directions as three different banners were fluttering. There was no mercy on their faces but the commanders that led them had a smirk.

"Sir, are you sure that we should compel to that letter?" asked one of his subordinates to his commander.

"Hahaha, it's alright, they couldn't have done anything significant in two weeks, all of their routes had been cut off! The problem we should think of is who would lead that kingdom instead. We are merciful enough to let them save some face, but I wonder, would her life even be enough hahaha!"

The commander laughed as he kicked the horse he rode on. The neighing signaled the increased speed of his pace from the others before his subordinates followed suit. The intense atmosphere was dawning on the place where the four kingdoms were about to meet.

One scout was looking through his spyglass and saw the galloping horses coming toward their way. The rumbling of the noise that they produced altogether made him swallow his own gut before he retracted the spyglass. His heart had raced before turning around and started running. In his entire career, he never saw anything like that storming toward him. One yank of their spear could send his head toward heaven.

The scout rushed back before someone with a royal garment came into his view. The latter was talking with his army before his ears slightly twitched. He turned a glance toward the direction where it came from. The scout didn't say a word as he regulated his breathing before the king asked, "Is it them?"

The scout nervously answered with a strong nod.

The storm was approaching as they speak. The king squinted his eyes as his commanders couldn't guess what he was thinking about. The man looked at the palm of his hand, it was clean, cleaner than any of his subordinates. However, he knew how much it was stained, especially with what about he was going to do.

He turned around while waving his cloak before heading in a certain direction. His footsteps got heavier and heavier as he looked at two knights guarding a cube-shaped cage. One that was used for wild animals, however, the one they were holding inside was not one.

The two knights spared their salutes before walking to each of the sides. The king took one last step before brooding down and laid his gaze against a person inside.

It was a beautiful woman of auburn hair. There was nothing that could handle the beauty that she was exuding. The king himself gulped as he looked at the woman inside the cage. He couldn't believe that such beauty actually exists in his own kingdom. Even the pieces of clothes that should make her looked like a beggar couldn't diminish her beauty.

"I almost didn't recognize you, what did that man do to cause you glimmering with this beauty that not even my wife could compare."

Her auburn hair had scattered around the floor of the cage as she pointed both of her knees to each other. She hugged them as her gaze was filled with emptiness.

The king didn't know if she was pretending not to hear his words or actually turning deaf. There was not a hint of emotion left on her face and that was the only thing he could understand. (Asking for your pity would only hurt you more, hate me and scream my name when you die for our people!) thought the king before he let out a sigh and turned around.

"Trust..."

The king raised his eyebrows before he immediately turned around. He slightly squinted as he furrowed his eyebrows. He could have sworn that he heard her muttering something. He turned around once more before saying, "Bring her."

"Yes! Your majesty!" said the two knights as they each turned around neatly before squatting down and reached out the bottom of the cage before raising it up.

She was still in her position despite being carried and watched by the thousands of people from the army. She didn't care about their scorn anymore as her sight was not even where her eyes were looking at.

The king was making his way toward the stairs that were made with nothing but sturdy woods that had four wheels. The mobile plateau stood high and towering against the swarm of the army that had already held their position to a certain distance.

The frontmost of the army had their spears pointing at the swarm of enemies that looked at them with ridicule. Their smirk and smugness made them want to throw some insults but they knew that if they incite their anger, it would be their loss. They could only grit their teeth and showed their anger with their trembling spears.

After taking one last step of the stairs, he reached the plateau. Standing at the highest position among the men there, he naturally courted all of their attention. Despite the black clouds that were gradually forming above him, he stood against the army with no fear in his eyes.

"Thank you for coming everyone!"

His voice reverberated through the entire place as he commanded the air. However, despite his ruling voice, his enemies only received them with a sarcastic smile. There was nothing more insulting for him but he could only swallow it for now as vengeance will occupy his mind for a long time.

His two knights finally followed suit before the cage was presented before them all as they lowered it down.

"Look! The face of the woman that killed your leaders!" shouted the king before he flipped the top of the cage open. The bars that were surrounding her immediately dropped down as her beauty was presented for their eyes to see.

The commanders and the entire army gawked their faces off, even those that were behind a helmet. The gorgeous auburn hair was fluttering against the strong wind as her face had glowed and challenged even that of the moon. The unbelievable beauty made the commanders of the enemy scratched their heads and second-guessing if the king got the wrong woman.

"This is the very same woman that poisoned your kings!" said the king.

"Let's cut to the chase... king!" shouted one of the commanders.

The king furrowed his eyebrows but he didn't lash out before the commander continued, "What are you going to do with that woman? Kill her? At least give it to us, we will punish her accordingly! Hahaha!"

"After all, she kill our beloved kings!" said another before he threw his spear forward under his unsuspecting eyes.

The spear broke through the wind before narrowly grazed Cecile's cheeks. Her thin wound opened up before forming a red thin line of blood, yet the woman was expressionless as if she couldn't feel pain.

"Tch! What a cold bitch," muttered the commander that threw his spear. He would have wanted to see her screaming for help but it looks like the fun had been ripped off long ago.

"You idiot what are you doing?! I don't want her to have scars when I have fun!" said one of the commanders.

The king furrowed his eyebrows at their blatant and vulgar words. He took a glance at Cecile before noticing that she was unhindered and unfazed by the swarm of armies below. Her gaze was straightforward but empty. (Are you thinking about that perverted thief?).

*Splurt!

His eyes opened wide as five arrows hit straight against her right breast. It stayed embedded and blood could be seen from it. However, she was expressionless.

The king was at loss, he couldn't really defend her in this situation. He could only close his eyes as the only mercy she could give was a quick death.

He took out his royal sword before placing it against her neck.

"Oi king what are you doing?! She is ours to punish and not yours!"

He heard nothing as he raised his blade high before it reflected a red glow.

"Huh?"

Cecile suddenly stood up and glance over to the back, the very back of the army where she was brought from. Looking at the young man that she had spent more than a night with, she smiled despite the arrows on her body still attached.

"Lyon!"

Lyon's heart thumped seeing her condition. That beautiful smile appeared for him despite that gruesome wound on her chest.

His goosebumps rose as his black hair fluttered in an instant. The black clouds immediately turned a shift of red as his aura heightened, even the moon itself shifted to blood.

The king didn't even finish letting out his breath as his pupils shrunken. He was looking straight at him but he didn't know when did Lyon lift his feet before he was standing right beside him in that spare moment of shock.

"Wh?"

*Splurt!

The army from the three kingdoms that stood in the front row gasped in horror as they saw their enemies crushed into a bloody mist. Their armors were wrecked beyond saving, not even their spears were pardoned. Not a flesh on sight, not a bone on sight. They all gulped before looking above against the plateau.

All of his subordinates turned into a mist of blood without a warning as Lyon looking at the king down on the plateau that he was so proud of. Not even a scream from his beloved knights did the king heard. His cold glare showed no mercy as the king was stricken by the pounding of his soul.

While the other was petrified by the scene above, one of the commanders saw this as an opportunity. Grabbing the same bow that penetrated Cecile's chest he put one arrow and notched it against the string. Pulling as hard as he can he was going after Lyon's head. With a smirk on his face, he let go of the string after an abundance of mana accompanied the arrow.

The arrow broke the wind before Lyon suddenly grabbed the king's face and pushed him toward the incoming arrow.

*Splurt!

It easily penetrated his unprotected head as the commander took one step back before gulping his saliva.

"Im-impossible."

Lyon threw the corpse of the king like it was nothing, against the swarm of an army below. The loud thud didn't catch their attention as the same commander caught his gaze.

"Guha!" he suddenly vomited out blood before his knees bent and crashed against the hard ground. With blood running out of his mouth he strugglingly looked up before his eyes reflected the young man leaping from the plateau against the entire army.

The severing red mana encompassed Lyon's entire figure before a red-eyed beast roared as he let out his fist against all of them.

*BOOM!

The whole place lit up after the first contact. Everyone from the whole four kingdoms could see the explosion building up to the sky before a thunderous shockwave swept through them. Buildings rumbled as not even the road was spared from the devastating might. All of the hidden experts in the vicinity were unprepared as they too got caught by it along with the caves they used to cultivate. Volcanoes were forced to erupt at the same time due to the divine tremor that the fist inflicted before breaking the very vessel that contained the magma for the world.

The world had turned dark as the sun couldn't penetrate the thick clouds. However under the cloud of dust and on the center of the huge crater that spans the four kingdoms in their entirety. Stood a young man that was carrying a sleeping beauty in his arms.

Not a single living thing entered his sight before he leaped and disappeared into thin air. Leaving the world to heal by itself, but from the devastating view, no one from the future would ever think that the place was once flourishing.