Emperor's Reckoning

The Guild HQ was stumped. The loud thud reverberated across the first floor. The whole place turned silent as they all choked their words inside their throats. There was not a single scream coming out as most of them made a harsh swallow.

The smooth noise of footsteps was heard as the man that was wearing glasses approached the receptionist. The elegance of the way he walked was permeating class and professionalism. The only thing he lacked was a silver tray with a hot steaming coffee on top of it.

However, after the display of prowess that he had just shown, none of them could see him as an ordinary butler that could serve drinks. The blood was still running as they exhale through their nostrils. Nothing was ordinary out of the man that casually slapped Guild HQ right in their face. Unchained by the worldly rule of respect, he arrived at the table before his towering figure overwhelmed the lady behind it.

"Please do excuse my harsh behavior, there are some things that even I cannot tolerate. This place certainly needs some clean-up, the dust is making it uglier than it looks."

The woman behind the desk was stupefied by his remark as she reminded silence with her mouth opened. There was no need for him to add salt to the bruise. The place was obviously unkempt with most of the rough cultivators hanging out on the bottom floor. Her assistants were scared and thrilled at the same time as to how they noticed how handsome his face was. Deadly and mysterious, it was a bane to an innocent woman's heart.

"Getting back to the chase, I need you to guide me and my...." he slightly paused before continuing, "friend over there, to your leader. I heard she is here?"

Her mind woke up at the mention of her leader. The cultivators at the bottom floor were swallowing their saliva as they looked at them both different now. With the mention of their leader, they could only imagine the worst of the worst that could happen.

"Are they from the opposing guild?"

"Do they want to start a war between guild?"

"Please god no, I just want a normal leisure adventurer life."

Hearing the muttering of the adventurer made the one with ashen hair turned grim. The slight gruntled immediately bought their gasps before turning silent. Unlike his partner, the way he walked exuded power and destruction. The bearing of a general was in plain sight and they couldn't blink even once.

"S-She is currently outside," answered the receptionist hastily as her cold sweat drenched her forehead. She had to quickly answer the question and not wait for the ashen hair to join along. With both of them standing right in front of her, her consciousness wouldn't have survived the massive pressure. However, little did she know, that the pressure she was feeling pounding down her shoulders was nothing but her own imagination. Both of them didn't need to exude their presence and pressured the whole place, otherwise, the whole tower might reduce to oblivion.

The one in the butler suit raised his glasses slightly up with a push by his middle finger before promoting a smile as he muttered, "Then she is here."

The receptionist didn't dare to look him in the eye as hers were opening wide.

"She must be on the top floor right?" said the ashen hair before he took a turn and heading toward the spiraling stairs.

(Wait! Huh?!) she screamed inwardly. She couldn't utter a word from her lips, it didn't even go past her throat. She had turned rigid as fear choked her soul in the place. Even her instinctive nature was under the influence of her fear. This was the first time she had ever experience something like this. The dynamic duo grew increasingly huge as an image that etched in her mind.

"Hmm... looks like those above have been aware of what's going on here, however, it would be a bad move to offend that mad fellow, he had no restraints" muttered and commented the one with the glasses.

Hearing those words and the flash of a smile that appeared on his face made the receptionist lady cowered even more. All this while, her authority had been on the ground and had no way of coming back up as long as these two were still on the ground floor. However, the receptionist of the one above was something different entirely than her.

(She must have caught the wind of the sudden silence here. I hope she could do something about them) thought the receptionist lady before seeing the man in front of him gave a light tap on the desk before leaving her standing behind the desk. She made a harsh swallow before slightly glance down and saw the desk steaming out some light fog as a burnt smell slightly danced inside her nostril. Her eyes opened wide as she saw a black tint on the high-quality desk.

(Don't tell me just a light tap of his finger caused this?) thought the receptionist lady before seeing them both standing in front of the spiraling stairs.

The other cultivators gulped their saliva hard as they could feel the intense pressure that was coming down from above right where the stairs were. It was obvious that the elites had caught wind of what's going on. Some of them turned up a smile as they could see what's going to happen to them but they didn't dare to utter a word as she was making the person.

(That's right, go on, step into that stair!)

(Go go go!)

(Don't hesitate now, you have what it takes... hehehe)

"Heh," the one with the glasses took the first step as the cultivators grinned their teeth out. The whole place suddenly felt a burst of euphoria but immediately turned grim as the former took another step with ease. With his hands behind his back he took another step and another, and then another. His face was strict as his eyes were sharp as if nothing in this world could shake him.

They were all gobsmacked by the ease of the one with the glasses had walked the stairs. One cultivator swallowed his saliva before he stood up and left the place with tails between their legs. (Fuck this, even the elite can't do shit now!) thought the cultivator that ran out. Some of the more wise-oriented cultivators thought the same before following in his footsteps. Meanwhile, the rest of them were still battling within their inner self, a battle between curiosity and safety.

The tall muscular one with ashen hair suddenly leaped with his arms crossed before overlapping his partner in one go. With a light gentle tap despite his huge figure he had arrived on the second floor.

"Hm?!"

All of the elite cultivators were surprised by his sudden appearance that was coming out of nowhere. The elites looked at the man that wore nothing of extraordinary. It was a simple robe that one could buy in the street market with a discount. However, shallow that their knowledge had not reached, that the very fabric that he wore withstood the spatial storm that could kill them in under ten seconds.

*Tap!

His partner arrived before taking a glance at the room of the supposed to be elite. He noticed another stair was placed in the opposite direction of his and also, another receptionist lady was in place and in charge of the second floor.

The place was clearly more kempt than the ones below and their cultivation levels were much higher than them. However, unlike the wild nature from the lower rank, the elites on the second floor knew better. Some of them looked at the dynamic duo but quickly averted their gaze toward their drink.

(These two didn't shed a single sweat at all even with all the pressure we put).

(Must be hidden expert in the land that decided to come out somehow).

(Why don't you try to gauge their cultivation level?).

(I'm sorry, I don't want to gamble my life).

(Look! They are going to the third floor!).

The duo had stood in front of another stair before a voice suddenly interfere with them.

"If you have an appointment with one of the vice-leaders, please come over here and let me check your names," said the beautiful receptionist with a smile.

The one with the glasses let out a sigh before the ashen-haired one said, "We are not here for the vice-leaders, we are here for the leader, a madwoman."

The cultivators inside the room opened their eyes wide before looking at them with fears in their eyes. The receptionist's head slightly glanced down before her eyes turned sharp as she put her glare toward the ashen-haired man. Big he might be but the feisty woman didn't back down as she clenched her fists.

"M-Mad!" said the woman with gritted teeth and clenched jaw.

"Hm... I don't have time for this," the ashen-haired man flicked his finger before the lady was blown back and hit the wall. Her consciousness instantly fled from her body before she fell to the ground.

"I'm sorry, my master told me not to be rough to a woman but, time is really scarce for me," said the ashen-haired man as he bowed under the disbelieving eyes of the onlooker.

Meanwhile, his partner had already stood in front of a giant double door before he placed his palm on its surface.